Sri Lanka Reels Under Cyclone Ditwah’s Fury as Death Toll Tops 150; India Leads Relief Effort

 

Sri Lanka awoke on Saturday to a landscape of ruin after Cyclone Ditwah carved a devastating path across the island, prompting President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to impose a nationwide state of emergency. The scale of destruction grew starker through the day as authorities confirmed that the death toll had climbed past 150, with nearly two hundred people still unaccounted for.

Heart-rending accounts surfaced from multiple provinces—families buried alive in sudden landslides, entire communities swept away by violent flash floods, and villages left isolated as roads crumbled and communication lines collapsed. With the cyclone drifting away from the island, the immediate winds eased, but officials warned that the storm’s indirect impact would linger through heavy rainfall and unstable terrain.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported that 7,74,724 people across 25 districts have been affected since Thursday’s onset of severe weather. Over 1,00,000 displaced residents from nearly 28,000 families are now crammed into 798 evacuation shelters. A chilling 191 individuals remain missing as search teams wade through debris, mudslides, and inundated villages.

Under the emergency order, district administrations have been granted spending authority of up to 50 million Sri Lankan rupees to accelerate urgent relief and recovery operations.

India mounted one of the earliest and most substantial international responses. Under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu,’ New Delhi dispatched two military transport aircraft—C-130 and IL-76—carrying around 21 tonnes of relief supplies and 80 National Disaster Response Force personnel. Two Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant joined the rescue effort, while an additional consignment of essential aid had already reached Colombo the previous day. The mission underscored India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, a point highlighted by Sri Lankan Army Commander Lasantha Rodrigo, who acknowledged India’s “generous and timely assistance.”

The Sri Lankan military, deploying more than 24,000 personnel, has rescued over 2,400 people so far, including 68 passengers stranded in a bus surrounded by rising floodwaters in Kalaoya after an hours-long operation at dawn.

Cyclone Ditwah’s impact has been catastrophic on the country’s infrastructure. Major reservoirs and rivers overflowed, triggering evacuation orders across vulnerable regions. Nearly 35 percent of the island remains without electricity—about 7 million Ceylon Electricity Board customers—after the power grid buckled under relentless rain and flooding. Repair efforts continue to be obstructed by hazardous conditions.

Meteorological officials warned that heavy rainfall—exceeding 100 mm in some northern and central regions—may persist despite the cyclone’s departure, heightening fears of fresh landslides and renewed flooding.

Amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis, foreign governments have stepped forward. The United States announced an immediate aid allocation of USD 2 million for emergency relief, while the Maldives committed USD 50,000 in financial support along with 25,000 cases of canned tuna for affected communities.

As Sri Lanka begins the painful task of recovery, the full measure of Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation—and the long road to rebuilding—continues to emerge with each passing hour.