Operation Sagar Bandhu Expanded as India Reinforces Sri Lanka Flood Relief
Death toll hits 486 as India accelerates massive rescue.
India intensified its humanitarian mission to cyclone-battered Sri Lanka on Thursday, deploying a second Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster loaded with additional Bailey Bridge units, 25 specialist engineers, and a medical team to reconnect isolated communities severed by catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
The death toll from the disaster, which struck on November 16, climbed to 486 with 341 people still missing as of Thursday evening. Over 1.84 million citizens from more than 519,000 families remain affected, with 188,000 displaced and sheltered in 1,347 relief centres across the island nation.
The rapidly deployable modular Bailey Bridges, capable of being assembled within hours, are critical for restoring broken road links and enabling emergency vehicles to reach marooned villages. Indian engineers who arrived Wednesday have already begun reconnaissance and installation work, while Thursday’s contingent will accelerate the rebuilding of vital connectivity in the worst-hit districts.
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Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, India has also delivered 500 water purification units and established field hospitals. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake publicly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the swift and substantial support, while disaster-management officials from Andhra Pradesh conducted a virtual session sharing real-time digital governance tools to strengthen Colombo’s response capabilities.
The crisis has deepened with eight relief workers losing their lives during operations, including an electrocuted electricity board employee and a Sri Lankan Air Force pilot killed in an airdrop mission. Officials estimate total economic damage between USD 6-7 billion, equivalent to 3-5 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP, as restoration efforts race against continuing adverse weather.
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