Colombo, December 8 — Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa met Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha on Monday to express gratitude for India’s relief and rescue assistance under Operation Sagar Bandhu. High Commissioner Jha reaffirmed that India will continue to support Sri Lanka in its rebuilding and recovery efforts.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo and the India in Sri Lanka account posted on X about the meeting and ongoing relief work. Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army engineers and the Road Development Authority, have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road in Kilinochchi to restore vital connectivity for affected communities.
India has sent about 1,000 tonnes of essential food items and clothing to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, donated by the people of Tamil Nadu. Approximately 300 tonnes arrived in Colombo aboard three Indian Naval ships on Sunday morning. High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed the relief consignment to Wasantha Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.
An Indian Army field hospital near Kandy has been operating since December 5, providing medical assistance to more than 2,200 patients affected by Cyclone Ditwah. According to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the field hospital has performed 67 minor procedures and three operations.
The Daily Mirror, citing the Disaster Management Centre, reported the death toll has risen to 627, with several hundred people still missing. Cyclone Ditwah brought heavy rain, flash floods and landslides, pushed river levels to historic highs, submerged towns and damaged critical infrastructure. (ANI)
