Cyclone Ditwah: Death toll rises to 334 as Sri Lanka faces massive floods and landslides; more than 400 people are missing

The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose sharply to 334 on Sunday, Sri Lanka’s disaster agency said on Sunday, with many more still missing. It is the worst natural disaster to hit the island in two decades, and officials said the extent of the damage in the worst-hit central region was only being revealed as emergency workers cleared roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides. The Disaster Management Center (DMC) said the death toll had risen to 334, up from 212 earlier on Sunday, with nearly 400 missing and more than 1.3 million people across the island affected by the record rains. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who declared a state of emergency to deal with the disaster, vowed to rebuild with international support. “We are facing the greatest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” he said in a speech to the nation. “Certainly, we will build a better nation than existed before.” The losses and damage are the worst since the devastating Asian tsunami in 2004 that killed around 31,000 people and left more than a million homeless. Rain lashed Sri Lanka, but low-lying areas of the capital were flooded on Sunday and authorities braced for a major relief operation. A Bell 212 helicopter carrying food for patients stranded at a hospital just north of Colombo crashed into a river on Sunday evening. All five crew members were taken to a nearby hospital. Another helicopter sent from India on Sunday rescued 24 people, including a pregnant woman and a man in a wheelchair, who were trapped in the central town of Kotmale, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northeast of Colombo, officials said. Pakistan is also sending rescue teams, the Sri Lankan air force said, while Japan will also send a team to assess Sri Lanka’s immediate needs and has promised assistance. The air force said two babies and a 10-year-old child were also rescued from a hospital in the northern town of Chilaw, which was under water on Saturday. Authorities said flood levels in the capital would take at least a day to subside, while dry weather was also forecast. Cyclone Ditwah moved north towards India on Saturday. Completely flooded Selvi (46), a resident of the Colombo neighborhood of Wennawatte, left her flooded home on Sunday with four bags of clothes and valuables. “My house is completely flooded. I don’t know where to go, but I hope there is a safe shelter where I can take my family,” she told AFP. Falling water levels in the town of Manampitiya, 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Colombo, revealed massive destruction. “Manampitiya is a flood-prone town, but I have never seen such a volume of water,” said 72-year-old resident S. Sivanandan. He told the local news center portal that businesses and property were extensively damaged. A car overturned in front of his shop, he said. A woman in central Wellawaya said she heard a loud noise and went outside to see rocks rolling down a mountainside before stopping near her home. “I saw trees falling and moving with the rocks. We are afraid to go back to our homes,” she told reporters after moving to a shelter on safer ground. Deadliest in years The National Blood Transfusion Service said supplies were low, even though there were relatively few injuries. The National Building Research Organisation, which monitors the stability of hills, said there was a high risk of further landslides because mountain slopes were still saturated with rainwater. The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people died. aj/ Key Takeaways Cyclone Ditwah caused the worst natural disaster to hit Sri Lanka in two decades. Disaster Management Center (DMC) said the death toll had risen to 334. The losses and damage are the worst since the devastating Asian tsunami in 2004 that killed around 31,000 people and left more than a million homeless.