Cyclone Ditwah:123 killed in Sri Lanka, state of emergency declared

Colombo: Torrential rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have killed 123 people across Sri Lanka so far, with another 130 still missing, the Disaster Management Centre said on Saturday.

Director General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations were underway with 43,995 people moved to state-run welfare centres after their homes were destroyed in the week-long heavy rains.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency throughout the island in view of the emergency situation that has emerged due to the devastation caused by floods.

According to an official gazette dated Friday and released on Saturday, the state of emergency has been declared throughout the island.

On Friday, at an all-party meeting, the opposition leaders called for the state of emergency to be declared. The doctors’ trade union, in a letter addressed to Dissanayake, underscored the need to impose a state of emergency. The regulations are expected to expedite the process of relief coordination and rescue operations.

The need for the speedy deployment of troops, police, the health sector, the civil administration, and the civil defence force to tackle the crisis situation is to be facilitated through the state of emergency, officials said.

In a bid to tackle the situation, the government has made an appeal for international assistance.

Cyclone Ditwah was moving away from the island Saturday and was heading towards neighbouring India to the north, but it had already left massive destruction in its wake.

Fresh landslides hit the central district of Kandy, 115 kilometres (72 miles) east of Colombo, with the main access road under water at several locations.

"Fibre optic cables have snapped at many places and mobile phones are not working because base stations have been flooded," a DMC official told AFP.

He said a special unit had been deployed to restore communication lines, as several remote areas remained inaccessible by road after mudslides in tea-growing mountainous regions.

The government issued an appeal for international help and asked Sri Lankans abroad to make cash donations to support nearly half a million affected people.

Officials said Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya had met with Colombo-based diplomats to update them on the situation and seek the help of their governments.

India sends aid
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 help victims. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the loss of lives in Sri Lanka and said New Delhi was ready to send more aid.

"We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves," Modi said on X.

Flooding in low-lying areas worsened on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for those living along the banks of the Kelani River, which flows into the Indian Ocean from Colombo.

The Kelani burst its banks on Friday evening, forcing hundreds of people into temporary shelters, the DMC said.

Rain had eased in most parts of the country, including the capital, but parts of the island's north were still experiencing showers due to the residual effects of Cyclone Ditwah.

DMC officials said they expected flood levels to exceed 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 were killed following heavy rains. In December, 17 people died in flooding and landslides. The worst flooding Sri Lanka has experienced since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.

(With inputs from PTI, AFP)