Cyclone Ditwah: 400 Indians Flown Home as IAF Continues Major Evacuation Missions in Devastated Sri Lanka

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has airlifted around 400 Indian nationals from cyclone-hit Sri Lanka as part of its ongoing evacuation efforts to rescue stranded individuals.

The IAF inducted a Bhishm capsule and a medical team and airlifted the Indian nationals back to India until 8 PM on Sunday, the service said.

The IAF, in close coordination with Sri Lankan authorities, executed major rescue and evacuation missions in the landslide-hit Kotmale region, which remains completely isolated due to road disruption, officials said.

Throughout the day, IAF helicopters evacuated around 50 stranded individuals, including infants, and transported them safely to Colombo. Among the evacuees, there were six critical casualties.

To strengthen relief operations on the ground, the IAF also airlifted 57 Sri Lankan Army personnel into the affected zone to support ongoing rescue and clearance efforts, officials said.

More sorties are planned, the IAF informed.

Earlier, IAF undertook a hybrid rescue mission to rescue Indian and foreign nationals amid the devastation caused due to cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

In a post on its official X handle, IAF wrote, "IAF helicopters undertook a hybrid rescue mission to extricate stranded passengers from a restricted zone. A Garud commando was winched down to guide the group through cross-country route to a pre-briefed helipad at Kotmale, from where 24 passengers — including Indians, foreign nationals and Sri Lankans — were evacuated to Colombo."

"In a parallel effort, three critical casualties were airlifted to Colombo for immediate medical attention," the IAF statement read.

"Earlier, five teams of Sri Lankan Army personnel (40 troops) were airlifted from Diyathalawa Army Camp to the landslide-affected Kotmale region to support relief operations," the IAF post further read.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that Cyclone Ditwah is moving northwards along the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast. As of 11:30 am, the cyclone was located over the southwest Bay of Bengal, about 100 km east-southeast of Cuddalore and Puducherry, and roughly 170 km south-southeast of Chennai.

The minimum distance of the centre of the cyclone from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts is about 80 km.

IMD said the cyclone is expected to continue moving northwards, staying close and almost parallel to the North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast for the next 24 hours. By Sunday evening, it is likely to come as close as 30 km from the coastline.

The cyclonic storm is continuously monitored by the Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) at Karaikal and Chennai.

"It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during next 24 hours. While moving northwards the cyclonic storm will be centered over southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 30 km from the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by evening of today, the 30th November," the release said.

Chennai is expected to have a cloudy sky with heavy to very heavy rain today, followed by light to moderate rain on 1 December. Light to moderate rainfall is expected at isolated locations across Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry-Karaikal region between December 2 to 6.

IMD has issued a major warning for fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, the Gulf of Mannar, Comorin coast, the southwest and west-central Bay of Bengal, and the south Andhra Pradesh coast.

The IMD also issued a red alert for multiple north Tamil Nadu districts, warning of extremely heavy rain in Tiruvallur and Ranipet on Sunday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected over Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Vellore, with isolated heavy rain likely in Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Puducherry. 

Also Read: Cyclone Ditwah: India Helps Sri Lanka in Rescue Ops, IAF Evacuates Foreign Nationals of 12 Countries