Sri Lanka, Nov. 30 -- A hybrid mission was undertaken to rescue people stranded near the Kotmale area. A specially trained guide was winched down from the helicopter into an inaccessible location and then guided the stranded tourists and others to a pre-designated helipad. The helicopter subsequently contacted the guide officer at the Kotmale helipad, and 24 persons were evacuated to Colombo. The rescued individuals included 12 Indians, 10 other foreign nationals, and 2 Sri Lankans.

In addition, three critical casualties were airlifted to Colombo.

Earlier in the day, five 8-man teams-totalling 40 Sri Lankan Army personnel-were airlifted from the Diyathalawa Army Camp to the Kotmale helipad, which is located in a landslide-affected regio...