India has significantly ramped up its humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, airlifting a 65-tonne movable, modular Bailey Bridge system and 500 water-purification units to support recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster transported the bridge system to Colombo on Wednesday in response to a formal request from the Sri Lankan government, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.
According to the mission, the rapidly deployable Bailey Bridge can be installed within hours to replace damaged or washed-away bridges, providing vital access to districts that remain cut off due to flooding and landslides. The airlift also included 22 specialist personnel, among them expert engineers tasked with assembling the bridge and a medical team to reinforce the field hospital India deployed earlier as part of its relief operations.
India’s latest support aims to reconnect isolated communities, restore essential services and strengthen emergency mobility in some of the worst-affected regions. The assistance falls under Operation Sagar Bandhu, which has seen India deploy extensive air, sea and ground assets to deliver life-saving aid to its southern neighbour.
Cyclone Ditwah has inflicted unprecedented destruction across Sri Lanka, triggering massive flooding, landslides, and severe infrastructure collapse. As of Wednesday evening, at least 479 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 350 remain missing. The country’s disaster-response capacity has been stretched thin, with several districts still inaccessible due to damaged roads, collapsed bridges and disrupted utilities.
Sri Lankan authorities estimate the economic toll of the disaster to be between USD 6 billion and 7 billion, amounting to roughly 3–5% of the nation’s GDP. While extreme weather also impacted several South Indian states, Sri Lanka suffered the worst of Cyclone Ditwah’s force, leaving the island grappling with a humanitarian and economic crisis of overwhelming scale.
India’s continued assistance is expected to play a critical role in accelerating relief operations and restoring mobility for thousands of affected residents as Sri Lanka works to rebuild after the catastrophic storm.
Leave a Reply