Cyclone Ditwah: Death toll in Sri Lanka rises to 123, rescues continue
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Colombo: Sri Lanka continues to grapple with the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, as the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed that the death toll has risen to 123 over the past few days, according to local media reports on Saturday.
Authorities also reported that 130 people remain missing, with ongoing rescue and relief operations, according to the Daily Mirror.
The Kandy District has been the worst affected, recording 51 deaths and leaving 67 individuals unaccounted for. In Badulla District, 35 fatalities have been confirmed, while 27 people are reported missing. Other severely impacted regions include Kegalle with nine deaths, Matale with eight, Nuwara Eliya with six, and Ampara with five.
The DMC stated that communities across the country have been deeply affected by floods, landslides, and powerful winds caused by the cyclone. A total of 373,428 people from 102,877 families have been impacted.
Authorities have issued urgent warnings for residents in low-lying areas of the Maha Oya valley, cautioning them about potentially severe flooding unprecedented in recent years.
In a dramatic rescue, at least 40 people, including a foreign woman, were saved from a bus swept away by floodwaters on the Kala Oya Bridge along the Anuradhapura–Puttalam road. The bus, carrying around 60 passengers, had to halt as rising waters pushed it off course, forcing passengers to climb onto the roof of a nearby house for safety. Evacuations could not be carried out on Saturday night due to dangerously high water levels.
Meanwhile, India has delivered 27 tonnes of relief material under Operation Sagar Bandhu to support Sri Lanka during the crisis. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that additional aid is on the way.
Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, comprising 80 personnel, have also arrived in Sri Lanka to join ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
With IANS inputs