Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international aid as the death toll from heavy rains and floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 132, with another 176 reported missing.
The extreme weather system destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and sent 78,000 people to temporary state-run shelters, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake invoked emergency laws, giving him sweeping powers to deal with the devastation after a week of torrential rain across the island.
“We have 132 confirmed dead and another 176 missing,” said DMC Director General Sampath Kotuwegoda, adding that relief efforts were bolstered by the deployment of the army, navy and air force.
The military rescued 69 bus passengers on Saturday, including a German tourist, who were sent to Anuradhapura district after a 24-hour operation involving a helicopter and naval boats.
One of the passengers, who spoke to reporters at a local hospital, said navy sailors had helped them climb onto the roof of a nearby house after using ropes to help them walk safely through the flood waters.
“We were very lucky… while we were on the roof, a part of it collapsed… three women fell into the water, but they were helped back onto the roof,” said Shantha.
A helicopter had to abandon an initial rescue attempt as the downdraft from the rotors threatened to blow off the roof they were perched on, he said.
They were later rescued by naval boats.
Roads in the central district of Badulla remained inaccessible, leaving many villages cut off and relief supplies unable to get through.
“We lost two people in our village… others are taking shelter in a temple and a house that is still standing,” said Saman Kumara from Maspanna village in Badulla, one of the worst affected districts.
– No clean water –
“We can’t leave the village and nobody can enter because all the roads are blocked by earth slips. There is no food and we don’t have clean water,” he told the News Center media website by phone.
Officials said about a third of the country was without electricity and running water as power lines fell and water purification facilities were flooded. Internet connections were also disrupted in many areas.
Cyclone Ditwah moved away from the island on Saturday and was heading towards neighboring India to the north.
Chennai airport in India has canceled 54 flights in light of the cyclone’s approach, with the weather department predicting heavy rain and strong winds in the next 48 hours.
Fresh landslides hit the central district of Kandy, 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of Colombo, with the main access road under water in several places.
The government issued an appeal for international aid and asked Sri Lankans abroad to donate money to support the affected communities.
Officials said Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met with Colombo-based diplomats to update them on the situation and seek help from their governments.
India was the first to respond, sending two planeloads of relief supplies, while an Indian warship already in Colombo on a previously planned goodwill visit donated its rations to help the victims.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences for the loss of lives in Sri Lanka and said that New Delhi is ready to send more aid.
Flooding in low-lying areas worsened on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for those living along the banks of the Kelani river, which flows into the Indian Ocean from Colombo.
The rain had subsided in most of the country, including the capital, but the north of the island was still experiencing some showers due to the residual effects of Cyclone Ditwah.
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 more.
The worst floods experienced by Sri Lanka since the beginning of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.
aj/abh/tc