India on Saturday dispatched two specialised National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to Sri Lanka to assist with search, rescue and relief operations in areas ravaged by Cyclone Ditwah, officials confirmed. The deployment forms part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, center’s latest humanitarian assistance mission in the neighbourhood.
The two teams, comprising 80 rescuers and four canine units, departed from Hindon Air Base at 4.06am aboard an Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft. The contingent is being led by P.K. Tiwary, Commandant of the NDRF’s 8th Battalion, which had previously been sent to Turkey in 2023 and Myanmar earlier this year for similar disaster response efforts.
An NDRF spokesperson said the units are equipped with “inflatable boats, hydraulic cutting and breaching tools, communication gear, medical first-aid kits and other specialised humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) equipment”.
Although the NDRF has moved internationally, officials emphasised that preparedness within India has been simultaneously strengthened along the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coastlines, where Cyclone Ditwah is expected to bring severe weather.
A total of 14 NDRF teams have already been pre-positioned across coastal districts including Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Mayiladuthurai. Additional teams are on standby for Puducherry, while 10 more units from the NDRF’s Pune and Vadodara battalions are en route to Chennai.
According to officials, the NDRF headquarters is engaged in continuous coordination with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), state administrations and the Ministry of External Affairs. The spokesperson added that the aim is to ensure “a seamless response both at home and abroad”.
This marks India’s fourth overseas deployment of the NDRF for disaster assistance, after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2023 Turkey earthquake and the 2025 Myanmar earthquake.
Cyclone Ditwah, which is currently sweeping across coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, has triggered devastating flooding and landslides. Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre reported 123 deaths and 130 people missing, with 43,995 residents relocated to temporary welfare centres after their homes were either damaged or washed away.
Director General Sampath Kotuwegoda said that rescue and relief operations were continuing across the worst-affected districts amid “week-long heavy rains”.
According to the IMD, the system moved north-northwestwards at 8 kmph overnight and was centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining northern Sri Lanka at 5.30am on Saturday.
The cyclone is likely to continue on this trajectory and approach the north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early Sunday morning.
Wind speeds along the coast currently range between 50–60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph. These are expected to escalate to gale-force winds of 70–80 kmph, with gusts up to 90 kmph through Saturday and early Sunday, before gradually easing by 1 December. Sea conditions remain rough to very rough and are forecast to become high until Sunday.
In Chennai, authorities have cancelled 54 flights scheduled for Saturday due to anticipated heavy rainfall and high winds. Most of the suspended services involve ATR-type regional turboprop aircraft operating to and from destinations such as Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thoothukudi, Salem, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaffna. Both arrivals and departures were halted after an assessment of safety risks.
Meanwhile, schools and colleges have been shut across several districts, including Perambalur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Pudukkottai, Puducherry and Karaikal. In Villupuram, Thanjavur and Tiruchi, only schools have been declared closed for the day. Pondicherry University has also postponed all examinations scheduled for Saturday, following a Coast Guard advisory on severe weather.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in coastal regions as the cyclone intensifies. Forecasts include, very heavy to extremely heavy rain in Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai. Intense rainfall in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai. Heavy to very heavy rain in Salem, Kallakurichi, Perambalur, Tiruchi and Ariyalur. Intense spells across delta districts including Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. Heavy rainfall in Vellore, Tirupathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Karur.
District authorities have urged residents to avoid travel, steer clear of waterlogged zones and follow official advisories. Fishermen have been strictly warned against entering the sea.
Along the Thanjavur coastline, 1,500 mechanised boats and over 2,000 country boats have been securely anchored as a precautionary measure.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin reviewed preparedness with collectors of 14 districts on Friday. State officials said 16 SDRF teams and 12 NDRF teams have been deployed across key districts including Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
Tourists have also been advised against visiting Dhanushkodi, near Rameswaram, due to the threat of extreme weather.
India’s humanitarian mission extended further on Saturday as an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft landed in Colombo carrying nearly 12 tonnes of relief material. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the supplies include tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits and ready-to-eat food.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath expressed his gratitude to India, while former foreign minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry also thanked New Delhi for its swift assistance.
This consignment follows Friday’s dispatch of the first tranche of relief material delivered by the Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant and INS Udaigiri.
