Sri Lanka Declares Emergency as Cyclone Ditwah Leaves Over 120 Dead; India Sends Relief Aid

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a nationwide state of emergency after severe flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah left widespread devastation across the island. The decision was issued through an official gazette dated Friday and made public on Saturday. The emergency powers are aimed at speeding up disaster response, enabling quicker mobilisation of the armed forces, police, the health sector, civil defence units and local administration to assist affected communities.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, the official death toll as of 9 am Saturday stands at 123, while 130 people remain missing. Officials believe the actual numbers may be higher, as severely affected districts are facing communication breakdowns due to damaged infrastructure and continued rainfall. Reservoirs and rivers across the island have overflowed, and authorities have issued evacuation warnings.
Photo: AFP

Cyclone Ditwah exited Sri Lanka on Saturday, moving toward the Indian coastline. “We observed Ditwah leaving Sri Lanka and moving towards India,” said Athula Karunanayake, Director General of the Meteorology Department. He noted that heavy rain and strong winds would still continue to affect the island.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, more than 200,000 people from 61,000 families have been affected. In the Kandy district alone, over 50 deaths were reported by Friday night, and Badulla in the central highlands has suffered major landslides, with many people dead or missing.

The country’s power network has also been badly disrupted, with around 35 percent of the island experiencing outages from early Friday. Nearly 7 million customers of the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board have lost power, and ongoing floods and heavy rain continue to hinder restoration efforts.
Photo: AFP

Meanwhile, India has dispatched emergency assistance to support relief efforts. Under “Operation Sagar Bandhu,” the Indian Air Force flew 21 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka, along with more than 80 National Disaster Response Force personnel and eight tonnes of specialised rescue equipment. One IL-76 and one C-130 aircraft were sent from the Hindon Air Base late Friday night.

A C-130 carrying food and sanitary supplies landed at Bandaranaike International Airport around 1.30 am Saturday, where Indian High Commission officials and Sri Lankan Air Force officers received the consignment. Earlier, relief shipments had been transported by the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and the frontline naval ship INS Udaigiri. India stated that its assistance reflects the “Neighbourhood First” policy and solidarity with Sri Lanka in its time of need.