IAF to the rescue as Cyclone Ditwah halts flights; Stranded Indians in Colombo to be flown home

Hundreds of Indian passengers stranded at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport due to Cyclone Ditwah will be evacuated by the Indian Air Force, with flights starting 5 AM on Tuesday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told ANI. 

The passengers have been unable to leave Sri Lanka because of severe flight disruptions caused by the cyclone, which has also led to widespread flooding, landslides, and service interruptions across several regions.

Tharoor said he had spoken to India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, about passengers from Thiruvananthapuram who have been unable to leave the airport due to limited flight options.
"Spoke to the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, about the plight of stranded constituents from Thiruvananthapuram who are unable to leave Colombo Airport because of a lack of flight options," Tharoor wrote on X.

 

 

He added that efforts were already underway to bring Indian nationals to safety. "Reassured to hear that the Indian Air Force will be organising evacuation flights starting at 5 AM tomorrow to take Indian passengers, who have registered with the Indian High Commission's control room at the airport, back to safety in India, including in Thiruvananthapuram."

Tharoor also urged families in India not to panic. "Anxious family members may reassure their relatives stranded at the airport that help is on the way!" he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Acting High Commissioner Satyanjal Pandey visited stranded passengers at the airport and assured them of all possible assistance.

"Acting High Commissioner @DrSatyanjal met stranded Indian passengers at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo. Acting HC assured them of all possible assistance. He conveyed that the Government of India will facilitate their swift travel back to India," the High Commission of India in Colombo wrote on X.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled or delayed since Sunday, leaving many passengers stranded inside airport terminals. The High Commission said its teams remain on the ground to assist travellers.
"In the wake of #CycloneDitwah, Sri Lanka is experiencing widespread flooding, landslides and severe service disruptions, including flight cancellations. @IndianinSL is helping Indian passengers in distress and facilitating their return to India," the mission added.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as Cyclone Ditwah approaches the coast. IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rain at isolated spots, likely over Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu districts, and the Puducherry-Karaikal region.
The IMD stated that Cyclone Ditwah is expected to move North-Northwest (NNW) and approach the North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and South Andhra Pradesh coasts by tomorrow. It will come within 25 km of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts on Sunday evening and is likely to downgrade to a cyclonic storm on Monday morning.

India is additionally supporting stranded passengers at Bandaranaike International Airport, where severe weather has disrupted air traffic. The Indian High Commission in Colombo is providing affected Indian travellers with food, water and assistance.

According to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), the death toll climbed to 153 as of Saturday evening, with 191 people still missing in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, Daily Mirror Online reported. The storm has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country and forced almost 44,000 people into state-run temporary shelters, the DMC said.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday issued an extraordinary gazette notification declaring a state of public emergency, following widespread destruction caused by the cyclone. The notification was issued in response to the devastation left by Cyclone Ditwah.

 

(With agency inputs)