Sri Lankan authorities struggled on Sunday to control rising floodwaters in parts of Colombo after a powerful cyclone swept across the country, leaving at least 159 people dead.
The Disaster Management Centre said the northern areas of the capital were facing severe flooding as the Kelani River continued to swell.
According to the DMC, the death toll had climbed to 159, and another 203 people were unaccounted for after a week of relentless rainfall brought by Cyclone Ditwah, which moved away from Sri Lanka on Saturday.
A DMC official said, “Although the cyclone has left us, heavy rains upstream are now flooding low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River.”
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday to manage the crisis and appealed for help from the international community. India was the first to respond, sending relief goods along with two helicopters and crew members to assist with rescue operations.
Japan announced it will dispatch a team to assess urgent needs and promised further support. Although the rain has eased across most of the island, several roads in the hardest-hit central region remain cut off, the DMC said.
The severe weather has damaged more than 20,000 houses and forced 122,000 people into government-run shelters. Another 833,000 people need assistance after being displaced by the floods. Troops from the army, navy, and air force are working alongside civilians and volunteers to support relief efforts.
Officials said nearly one-third of the country is without electricity or clean water because power lines have collapsed and water treatment plants are underwater. Internet services have also been affected.
This cyclone is now the deadliest natural disaster in Sri Lanka since 2017, when floods and landslides killed more than 200 people and uprooted many more. The most severe flooding in recent history took place in June 2003, when 254 people lost their lives.