Sri Lanka has appealed for international assistance as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 132 with another 176 reported missing.
The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country, displacing almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Saturday.
Although Cyclone Ditwah was moving towards neighbouring India on Saturday, more landslides struck the central district of Kandy, 115 km east of the capital Colombo, with the main access road submerged at several locations.
DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations had been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. “Relief operations with the help of the armed forces are under way,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo.
Mahesh Gunasekara, secretary-general of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, said many people remained stranded in flood-hit areas as rescue crews struggled to reach them. “Relief needs have been increasing. After two days, water has still been swelling,” he said. “Although the cyclone is slowly moving away from the country, it is not over for us yet,” Gunasekara added.
Flooding prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders for residents along the banks of Kelani River, which flows from Colombo into the Indian Ocean. The river burst its banks on Friday evening, forcing hundreds into temporary shelters, the DMC said.
The government appealed for international assistance and urged Sri Lankans abroad to make cash donations to support nearly half a million affected people.
Officials said Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met Colombo-based diplomats to update them on the situation and seek the support of their governments. India was the first to respond, sending two planeloads of relief supplies, while an Indian warship already in Colombo on a previously planned goodwill visit donated its rations to aid victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was ready to provide more assistance. “We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves,” Modi said on X.
While rain eased in most parts of Sri Lanka, including the capital, parts of the north continued to experience showers due to the residual effects of Cyclone Ditwah. DMC officials warned that flood levels could surpass those recorded in 2016, when 71 people were killed nationwide.
This week’s weather-related toll is the highest since June last year, when 26 people died following heavy rains. In December 2024, floods and landslides claimed 17 lives.
Cyclone Ditwah lashes coastal areas in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Rain triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, which entered the open sea and is approaching the Tamil Nadu coast, lashed the coastal areas and Cauvery delta districts on Saturday.
A tourist van was stranded near a canal in Ramanthapuram district, though the occupants managed to escape safely through the rear door.
The district administration warned residents not to venture out due to strong gales and heavy rainfall. Tourists were advised to avoid Dhanushkodi on Pamban Island, which was destroyed in the 1964 cyclone.
Several areas including Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvidaimarudur, Kumbakonam, Papanasam, Thiruvaiyaru, Pattukottai, Cuddalore and parts of Chennai received heavy rain, prompting closure of schools in vulnerable districts. Strong winds and high tides accompanied rainfall in Ramanthapuram and Nagapattinam.
According to the IMD, “Cyclonic Storm Ditwah over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwest over the past six hours and lay centred at 5.30 am on Saturday over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Sri Lanka.”
It was located 190 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 300 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 400 km south of Chennai, and is likely to reach North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning on November 30.
Private weather bloggers noted the cyclone’s track remains unchanged, moving parallel to the Tamil Nadu coast, with more rainfall expected over Chennai, Cuddalore and Puducherry.
Also read: India sends 80 NDRF personnel, aid to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
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