In this handout photo, taken and released by Director General Public Relations - Navy on December 1, 2025, a Pakistan Navy officer gestures with a Sri Lankan family following a rescue operation in Sri Lanka. (Handout/Pakistan Navy)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy personnel rescued a stranded Sri Lankan family, including a seven-month-old infant, during ongoing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, the service said Monday.
In a statement issued by the Director General Public Relations of Pakistan Navy, the force confirmed that an embarked Z-9 helicopter from Pakistan Navy Ship SAIF conducted the operation in the flooded Kotikawatta area.
According to the statement, the family had been “stranded for the last five days” and was found on a rooftop as floodwaters rose.
“The stranded family, including a 7-month-old infant, was safely recovered from a rooftop,” the Pakistan Navy said. It added that the evacuees were later transported to a secure location “in coordination with local authorities.”
Calling the mission a demonstration of operational readiness, the statement said, “The successful conduct of the rescue operation is a testimony of the Pakistan Navy's professionalism and commitment to international obligations.”
The Navy confirmed that PNS SAIF, with its helicopter detachment, is currently on an overseas deployment to Sri Lanka.
The rescue comes as Sri Lanka faces one of the region’s worst flooding disasters in years. The death toll across parts of Asia has surpassed 1,100, with Sri Lanka and Indonesia among the hardest hit.
Heavy rains linked to Cyclone Ditwah caused the Kelani River to overflow, submerging large swathes of Colombo and surrounding districts.
Official figures show 257 of the 355 confirmed deaths in Sri Lanka were in the central tea-growing highlands, while 366 people remain missing. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency and pledged to “build back better” with international support.
Nearly 210,000 people are currently sheltering in relief camps, and another 1.15 million require assistance, according to government data. Authorities said water levels in Colombo have peaked and are expected to recede soon.
“Colombo floods are at their maximum now,” Irrigation Director L. S. Sooriyabandara said, noting that conditions elsewhere were beginning to improve.
