Colombo: The Sri Lanka Navy has deployed 141 Disaster Relief Teams to assist communities affected by the ongoing adverse weather conditions. As of 0730 hrs today (29 November), 79 teams are actively engaged in rescue and relief missions across all provinces.

According to Ministry of Defence – Sri Lanka, since the initiation of relief operations on 22 November, the Navy has successfully rescued over 900 people and safely transported nearly 2,000 individuals using naval craft to safer locations.

On 28 November, a complex rescue mission was launched in the Kala Oya area to assist passengers trapped inside a bus caught in rapidly rising floodwaters. Despite heavy rainfall and challenging conditions – making both ground and air rescue attempts difficult – the Navy persisted. An attempted aerial rescue using a Sri Lanka Air Force Bell-212 helicopter was also hindered by the severe weather.

However, a special rescue operation was relaunched late last night, and by 0800 hrs today, Navy personnel successfully rescued 25 individuals, including a foreign national woman, using small craft.