India has dispatched a mobile field hospital and more than 70 medical personnel to Sri Lanka as part of its ongoing humanitarian aid following the devastating floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the Indian mission said on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka has been reeling from extensive flooding, landslides and major infrastructure damage, which has cut off several districts and placed immense pressure on the country’s disaster-response system.
As of Tuesday, 465 people have died and 366 remain missing in the catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by extreme weather since November 16.
In a social media post, the Indian High Commission said India has sent a “rapidly deployable field hospital” along with over 70 medical personnel to provide urgently required healthcare support in disaster-affected areas.
An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft airlifted the para field hospital, along with equipment and 73 medical personnel from Agra, and landed in Colombo on Tuesday evening to augment ongoing relief efforts.
IAF Mi-17 helicopters have been operating round the clock, airlifting over eight tonnes of relief supplies and rescuing 65 people, including foreign nationals, critically ill patients and a pregnant woman.
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Indian rescue teams are also conducting operations across multiple sites, the mission said.
India launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ last month, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
