Cyclone Ditwah impact: IAF airlifts 65-tonne Bailey Bridge to Colombo amid India’s efforts to aid Sri Lanka

As India continues to expand humanitarian assistance to cyclone-ravaged Sri Lanka under “Operation Sagar Bandhu”, a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) transported the 65-tonne Bailey Bridge from Hindan to Colombo on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

Bailey bridge is a portable, prefabricated modular structure commonly used to reconnect two separate areas in flood-affected areas.

Images shared by the Ministry of Defense show IAF personnel involved in coordinated rescue, medical and relief operations following cyclone Ditwah, which claimed the lives of at least 479 people as of Wednesday evening, December 3.

Meanwhile, the defense ministry said the IAF’s Mi-17 V5 helicopters were carrying out sustained missions, delivering nine tonnes of relief material and rescuing three survivors from the affected areas.

India continues its humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu with comprehensive air, sea and land operations providing immediate assistance to those affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the Indian High Commission said on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The neighboring country is grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse, isolating many regions and severely straining the country’s disaster response capacity.

On November 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of “Operation Sagar Bandhu” to assist Sri Lanka in its time of crisis and boost Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts.

Sri Lanka declared 22 of the island’s 25 administrative regions as ‘disaster areas’ on Wednesday, December 3, following the great destruction caused by the hurricane that hit land on November 25.

According to Sri Lankan government data, more than 1.4 million people have been affected, with over 2,33,000 sheltered in 1,441 relief centres.

With PTI inputs