ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s navy on Monday said it had conducted a rescue operation in Colombo to evacuate a Sri Lankan family stranded on a rooftop for five days due to floods and moved them to a safe location.
Last week, Cyclone Ditwah, packing strong winds and heavy rain, brought the island nation’s worst floods in a decade, triggering landslides in the hilly central region and killing more than 355 people, with at least 366 still missing.
A Z-9 helicopter from Pakistan Navy Ship ‘Saif’ took part in the rescue operation as part of ongoing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts in the flooded Kotikawatta area on the suburbs of Colombo.
“During search and rescue operation a stranded family for the last five days, including a seven-month-old infant, were safely recovered from a rooftop,” Pakistan’s navy said in a statement.
“Subsequently, the evacuated family was transported to a safe location in coordination with local authorities.”
