COLOMBO: India on Monday evacuated its last batch of stranded nationals from Sri Lanka, as New Delhi intensified its assistance to Colombo's rescue operations for Cyclone Ditwah disaster victims, officials said.

Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, the last batch of 104 Indian passengers stranded at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo reached Thiruvananthapuram, onboard an IAF aircraft, at around 6.30 am, the Indian High Commission here said in a social media post.

In a press release, the mission said India has intensified its assistance to Sri Lanka's rescue efforts and expanded operations across several affected regions.

Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant had airlifted several people to safer locations, while IAF helicopters carried out search operations in Kotmale, a worst-hit central hill area with no road access due to landslides and flooding, it said.

“National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, India's specialised Disaster Response Agency for Search and Rescue and HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) activities, who arrived yesterday in Colombo, carried out rescue operations in Kochikade, working closely with Sri Lanka authorities," the release said.