New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered condolences to the people of Sri Lanka who have lost their loved ones due to Cyclone Ditwah and announced that India has sent relief materials and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’.

“My heartfelt condolences to the people of Sri Lanka who have lost their loved ones due to Cyclone Ditwah. I pray for the safety, comfort and swift recovery of all affected families. In solidarity with our closest maritime neighbour, India has urgently dispatched relief materials and vital HADR support under Operation Sagar Bandhu,” PM Modi posted on X.

“We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves. Guided by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR, India continues to stand firmly with Sri Lanka in its hour of need,” he added.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said that Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant and INS Udaigiri handed over relief material at Colombo.

“Operation Sagar Bandhu commences. INS Vikrant and INS Udaigiri hand over relief material at Colombo. Further steps are underway,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

As many as 56 people have died, 14 have been injured and 21 are missing due to incidents caused by Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has confirmed, local media reported.

According to the DMC, 43,991 people from 12,313 families have been impacted by the extreme weather conditions, Sri Lanka’s ‘Daily Mirror’ reported. A total of four houses have been completely destroyed while 666 houses have been partially damaged in Sri Lanka due to the storm.

Sri Lanka continues to remain under severe weather conditions as heavy rainfall, rising floodwaters and continuous landslides impact daily life of people in various parts of the country, as per the report.

According to the airport authorities, 15 inbound flights have been diverted from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) since 10:55 pm on Thursday due to unsafe landing conditions caused by severe weather. The flights were rerouted to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), Trivandrum, and Cochin.

Issuing a cyclone alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday morning stated that the cyclonic storm Ditwah over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past six hours and lay centered at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 28th November 2025 over the same region, about 40 km southwest of Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee. 100 km northwest of Batticaloa, 320km south-southeast of Karaikal (India), 430 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 530 km south of Chennai.

“It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards across Sri Lanka coast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of 30th November,” the IMD stated.

–IANS

akl/as