Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka is reeling from the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Ditwah, as massive floods and landslides continue to devastate communities nationwide. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) announced on Sunday that the death toll has surged to 334, with nearly 400 people still missing and more than 1.3 million residents affected by the record-breaking rainfall.
Officials warn that the full extent of the destruction is only now emerging, particularly in the heavily impacted central region, where relief workers are clearing roads choked by uprooted trees and thick mudslides. Authorities describe the situation as the country’s worst natural disaster in 20 years, surpassing any storm-related devastation since the deadly 2004 Asian tsunami.
“We are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” a government official said in a national address. “Certainly, we will build a better nation than what existed before.”
Ongoing Flooding and Rescue Efforts
Though rainfall has eased, large areas of the capital remain submerged. Floodwaters in Colombo are expected to take at least a day to recede, complicating the massive humanitarian response underway.
Amid the crisis, a Sri Lankan Air Force Bell 212 helicopter delivering food to a hospital north of Colombo crashed into a river on Sunday evening. All five crew members survived and were taken to a nearby hospital.
International assistance is expanding:
- An Indian Air Force helicopter rescued 24 stranded people, including a pregnant woman and a man in a wheelchair, from the mountainous town of Kotmale.
- Pakistan is dispatching rescue teams.
- Japan has pledged assistance and is sending a specialized team to assess emergency needs.
Air Force personnel also confirmed the successful rescue of two infants and a 10-year-old child from a submerged hospital in Chilaw.
High Risk of Further Landslides
Landslides remain a serious concern. The National Building Research Organisation warns that many mountain slopes, saturated with days of relentless rain, are at high risk of collapse.
Despite the scale of destruction, the National Blood Transfusion Service reports relatively few injuries but notes that blood supplies are running low, prompting urgent calls for donations.
Cyclone Ditwah shifted north toward India on Saturday, but Sri Lanka’s emergency services say the recovery process will be long and difficult. The country has not faced flooding of this magnitude since June 2003, when 254 people were killed.
Leave a comment