Indian nationals boarding an India Air Force plane in the landslide-hit Kotmale region, in Nuwara Eliya of Sri Lanka on Sunday, as part of the rescue and evacuation missions.
| Photo Credit: (Indian Air Force/ANI Photo)
More than 300 Indians evacuated from the flood and landslide-hit Sri Lanka on Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft landed in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday night, even as IAF continues to aid local agencies in the island nation in rescue and relief operations.
IAF’s IL-76 and C-130 J heavy-lift carriers, operating from Colombo, brought over 200 Indians by 7.30 p.m. on Sunday. Another C-130 J was expected by 11 p.m. with 135 more people on board.
Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, IAF has activated its Southern Air Command, for deploying Mi-17 V5 medium-lift helicopters and elements of Garud special force, to Colombo. Operating in close coordination with Sri Lankan authorities, the helicopters flew missions for rescuing stranded and injured civilians across flooded and landslide affected areas, apart from deploying Sri Lankan Army personnel to the affected areas.
Conducting multiple missions, IAF helicopters airlifted 57 Sri Lankan Army personnel from Diyathalawa Army Camp and Colombo to Kotmale, a landslide-affected and cut-off area in central Sri Lanka.
“A hybrid mission was undertaken by the IAF, wherein Garud Commandos were dropped near stranded civilians and then guided to pre-identified landing sites, where they were picked up by the helicopter crew. A total of 55 civilians, which included Indians, foreign nationals and Sri Lankan survivors were successfully evacuated to Colombo. The survivors included six casualties/patients and four infants,” a statement said.
The IAF said it remains fully committed to sustaining relief operations and will continue to provide support as required to aid the people of Sri Lanka in their recovery efforts.
“The IAF continues to extend critical Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support to the people of Sri Lanka as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, following the severe humanitarian impact caused by recent natural calamities in the region,” a defence spokesperson said.
Published – November 30, 2025 11:21 pm IST
