The death toll from heavy rains and flooding caused by Cyclone Ditto has risen to 132 in Sri Lanka, with 176 people still missing, according to a report by the French news agency AFP. The government declared a nationwide state of emergency on Saturday to deal with the natural disaster.
Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center (DMC) said more than 15,000 homes across the country were destroyed by the harsh weather and 78,000 people were taken to government-run temporary shelters.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency to deal with the disaster caused by a week of heavy rains. "We have confirmed 132 deaths and 176 more are missing," said DMC Director General Sampath Kotuwigoda.
He said rescue efforts have been intensified with the deployment of the army, navy and air force. On Saturday, the country's military rescued 69 bus passengers, including a German tourist, in a 24-hour operation in the Anuradhapura district. Helicopters and navy boats were used in the operation.
A bus passenger, speaking to reporters at a local hospital, said that navy personnel used ropes to help him cross the floodwaters. They later helped him climb onto the roof of a nearby house.
The passenger, named Shanta, said, "We are very lucky. While we were on the roof, a part of it collapsed and three women fell into the water. But they were brought back to the roof."
He said the first rescue attempt by helicopter was canceled. There was a risk that the roof would be blown away by the helicopter's wind. They were later rescued by boat.
Several roads in the central Badulla district of the country have become impassable, cutting off communication with many villages and preventing relief supplies from reaching them.
"Two people have died in our village. Others have taken shelter in a temple. Many are staying at home," said Saman Kumara of Maspanna village, the worst-hit area of Badulla.
"We can't leave the village, and no one can enter," he said, "because all the roads are blocked by landslides. There is no food and there is a shortage of clean water."
Authorities said about a third of the country was without electricity and water. Floods have knocked down electricity poles and submerged water treatment plants. Internet connections have also been cut off in many areas.
Cyclone Ditwa moved away from the island nation on Saturday and headed north towards India. India's Chennai airport has cancelled 54 flights due to the storm. The country's meteorological department said heavy rains and strong winds are likely in the next 48 hours.
A fresh landslide has hit the central Kandy district, 115 kilometers east of the capital Colombo, and a large section of the main road has been submerged.
The government has issued a formal appeal for international assistance, and has also requested Sri Lankans abroad to send cash to help those affected.
Sri Lankan officials said Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met with Colombo-based diplomats to brief them on the situation and seek their government's assistance. India was the first to respond, sending two planes of relief supplies. An Indian warship on a goodwill visit to Colombo also donated its rations to help the victims.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the loss of life in Sri Lanka and expressed readiness to send more assistance.
This is the deadliest natural disaster in Sri Lanka since 2017, when floods and landslides killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. The worst floods in Sri Lanka since the turn of the century were in June 2003, when 254 people died in the country.
Source: AFP.
