President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declares a state of emergency to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.
At least 334 people have been confirmed dead across Sri Lanka as authorities continue to battle rising floodwaters in parts of the capital, Colombo, after a powerful cyclone left a trail of destruction.
In an update on Sunday, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Sunday nearly 400 people remain missing and warned that more heavy rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah are expected across the island nation in the coming days.
Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror publication said that among those missing were five Navy personnel who were last seen trying to cut off overflowing water at a Naval sub-station in Chalai Lagoon, northeast of the country.
The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, according to the DMC.
More than 24,000 police, army and air force personnel are still trying to reach families stranded by floods, authorities said.
’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Sammanthurai in east central Sri Lanka, said the country is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the cyclone.
“Some neighbourhoods are completely buried under mud, and each one brings more despair,” she said.
“Communication has also broken down, and there are some areas that have yet to send updates.”.
In other areas, newly planted rice was submerged in water due to relentless rain, Fernandez added.
The northern part of Colombo was also facing a major flood, as the water level in the Kelani River continued to rise, DMC said.
“Although the cyclone has left us, heavy rains upstream are now flooding low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River,” a DMC official said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone and appealed for international aid.
India was the first to respond, sending relief supplies and two helicopters with crew to carry out rescue missions.
The importance of the report depends on confirmed records, named authorities and any follow-up statements that clarify the scale, timing and public impact of the development.
The next useful information will be the most direct record available: an official notice, a named statement, an updated dataset, a court filing, a regulator note or a corrected public advisory.
