Op Sagar Bandhu: Indian, Sri Lankan armies works together to restore lives

Indian rescue and relief operations continue in full swing in Sri Lanka, as Indian Army engineers have begun joint efforts with Sri Lankan Army engineers to restore vital connectivity for affected communities.

In a post on X, the Indian High Commission said the Indian and Sri Lankan Army engineers have begun removing the damaged bridge on the Paranthan-Karachchi-Mullaitivu (A35) road in Kilinochchi.

"#OperationSagarBandhu rebuilding connectivity!@adgpi Engineers, together with @Sri_Lanka_Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, have begun removing the damaged bridge on the Paranthan-Karachchi-Mullaitivu (A35) road in Kilinochchi. This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities."

This comes as India has sent about 1000 tonnes of essential food items and clothes to Cyclone Ditwah-hit Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo in 3 Indian Naval Ships on Sunday morning. High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the relief materials to Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development of Sri Lanka.

On Sunday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared that the Indian Army Field Hospital near Kandy has, since December 5, provided medical assistance to more than 2200 patients affected by Cyclone Ditwah, conducted 67 minor procedures and three operations.

The death toll has soared to 627, with several hundred people still missing, the Daily Mirror reported on Sunday, citing the country's Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

Cyclone Ditwah has resulted in relentless rain, flash floods and landslides across the island, causing river levels to rise to historic highs, submerging entire towns and causing loss in critical infrastructure.

According to Daily Mirror, 190 individuals remain missing as rescue and search efforts continue. Furthermore, the adversarial weather has affected all 25 districts, impacting 2,179,138 people from 611,530 families.

In these challenging times, India continues with its rescue and relief operations under Operation Sagar Bandhu in Sri Lanka.