Entire areas of the Sri Lankan capital are flooded after powerful cyclone triggered torrential rains and landslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens missing.
Officials said the extent of the damage in the country's worst-hit central region was gradually becoming clearer on Sunday as aid workers cleared roads blocked by fallen trees and landslides.
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) said at least 193 people were killed and 228 people were missing in the country's deadliest natural disaster in recent years following a week of heavy rains caused by Cyclone Ditwa.
Northern areas of Colombo were inundated as water levels in the Kelani River rose rapidly, the DMC said. “Even though the cyclone has left us, heavy rains upstream are now inundating low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River,” a DMC official said.
Selvi, 46, a resident of Wennawatte, a Colombo suburb, was forced to flee her home on Sunday, carrying four bags containing clothes and valuables. “My house is completely flooded. I don't know where to go, but I hope there is some safe shelter where I can take my family,” she told AFP.
Water levels in the town of Manampitiya, 156 miles (250 km) northeast of Colombo, were falling, revealing widespread destruction. “Manampitiya is a flood-prone town, but I have never seen so much water,” said 72-year-old resident S. Sivanandan.
He told the local News Center that businesses and property suffered extensive damage. The car overturned right in front of his store.
The National Building Research Organisation, which monitors the stability of hillsides, said there was a high risk of further landslides as the mountain slopes were still saturated with rainwater.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday to cope with the effects of the cyclone and appealed for international help.
India was the first to respond, sending humanitarian aid and two helicopters to carry out rescue operations. Two more helicopters were expected to join on Sunday, officials said.
Pakistan was also sending rescue teams, according to the Sri Lanka Air Force. Japan said it would send a team to assess immediate needs and promised further assistance.
The extreme weather system destroyed more than 25,000 homes and forced 147,000 people into temporary government-run shelters. A further 968,000 people needed assistance after being forced from their homes by flooding.
Army, Navy and Air Force troops were deployed along with civilian workers and volunteers to provide assistance.
The climate crisis has affected storm patterns, including the length and intensity of the season, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.
The cyclone is Sri Lanka's deadliest natural disaster since 2017, when floods and landslides killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people died.
