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Cyclone Ditwah: Modi speaks to Sri Lankan Prez, assures India’s continued support
PM Modi assured Sri Lankan President of India’s continued support under the ongoing Operation Sagar Bandhu, providing rescue and relief to distressed persons.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of India’s continued support for people in the island nation affected by Cyclone Ditwah.
India’s humanitarian assistance for Sri Lanka figured in a telephone conversation between Modi and Dissanayake. The PM expressed his heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives and widespread devastation in Sri Lanka in the wake of the cyclone, according to an Indian government readout.
Modi assured Dissanayake of “India’s continued support to Sri Lanka under the ongoing Operation Sagar Bandhu, providing rescue and relief to distressed persons”, the readout said.
Modi also said India, in keeping with its Mahasagar vision and its role as the “first responder” in the region, will extend all assistance in the coming days as Sri Lanka undertakes rehabilitation efforts, resumes public services, and works to restore livelihoods across the regions impacted by Cyclone Ditwah.
The people of India “stand in firm solidarity and support with the people of Sri Lanka in this hour of need”, Modi said.
Dissanayake conveyed his gratitude for India’s help after the natural disaster and appreciated the swift deployment of rescue teams and relief material. He conveyed the appreciation of the Sri Lankan people for India’s timely and effective response.
The two leaders agreed to remain in close touch.
India has sent 53 tonnes of relief materials and an 80-member contingent of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, one of the worst natural disasters experienced by the island nation in two decades. Heavy rains and landslides triggered by the cyclone have affected almost a million people and more than 400 people have been reported dead or missing.
Indian search and rescue teams and military helicopters have rescued more than 150 people from flood-hit regions. Among the rescued persons were some nationals of Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Germany, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Slovenia and South Africa.
