Operation Madad (Indian Navy)

Operation Madad (Hindi: Operation Aid) was a disaster relief operation undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Madad was focused on rescue and relief efforts on the East Coast of the Indian Mainland. Most efforts were concentrated on Tamil Nadu, which bore the brunt of the tsunami, and in Andhra Pradesh.

Operation Sea Waves was simultaneously launched to focus disaster relief operations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Indian Navy also deployed its vessels and aircraft for tsunami rescue and relief in neighboring Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia through Operation Castor, Operation Rainbow and Operation Gambhir, respectively.

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
On 26 December 2004 starting at 00:58:53 UTC, a massive earthquake measuring between 9.1 and 9.3 on the moment magnitude scale occurred off the West coast of Sumatra. The earthquake resulted in a devastating series of tsunamis along most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean. With waves up to 30 meters high, the tsunami killed over 230,000 people and inundated most coastal communities in the affected areas.

The tsunami made landfall on the east coast of India about 90 minutes later. An estimated 18,045 people were killed in India, with at least 12,405 confirmed dead and over 5,000 reported missing, mainly in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu and on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Over 600,000 people had their homes destroyed and were displaced by the tsunami.

Response
With almost immediate realization of the scale of the tsunami, the immediate action was to deploy the Indian Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard aircraft and helicopters to estimate the damages. The aircraft were airborne less than an hour after the tsunami struck the east coast.

Indian Navy and Coast Guard search and rescue units played a critical role in rescuing survivors, as well as in the recovery of dead bodies in the later stages.

Naval and Coast Guard divers played a critical role in clearing the approach channels to Indian ports, to enable civilian boats and ships to join the rescue efforts.

Naval amphibious warfare vessels and landing craft were deployed to rescue survivors and deliver aid to affected coastal communities that were cut off due to damage to infrastructure during the tsunami.