Tourists trapped in mountainous town of Sri Lanka rescued

Tourists Rescued: British, Germans, Indians, Slovenians and Africans among them

The Sri Lanka Air Force carried out a special rescue mission in the central hills of Nuwara Eliya, airlifting a group of tourists who were stranded due to Cyclone Ditwah.

This is following cyclone caused severe destruction across the country and completely cut off road access to the region.

Nuwara Eliya, the coldest city in Sri Lanka and the country’s highest elevated town above sea level, became inaccessible as the extreme weather, landslides and fallen trees disrupted access routes.

According to Sri Lanka Tourism, the rescued group included 2 German nationals, 4 South Africans, 2 British citizens, 11 Indians, and 2 Slovenians.

They were safely airlifted by Air Force helicopters to Colombo Port City from the tourist hotspot of Nuwaraeliya.

Although Cyclone Ditwah has now moved away and rainfall has eased, Sri Lanka is entering a long post-crisis recovery phase.

To support tourists affected by the severe weather, Sri Lanka has introduced a set of special assistance measures:

Full waiver of flight cancellation and date-change charges for passengers.
Flexible rebooking options to allow travellers to adjust their plans with minimal inconvenience.
Simplified verification, where a passenger’s self-declaration of being affected by the weather is accepted as sufficient evidence.

Tourists seeking assistance may contact the dedicated hotline 1912.