At least 193 people have died in floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, as the country grapples with one of the worst weather disasters in years.
The Disaster Management Center reported that more than 200 people were missing and more than 20,000 houses were destroyed, with 108,000 people sent to government temporary shelters.
Officials said about a third of the country was without electricity or running water due to the state of emergency declared following Cyclone Ditvah.
Evacuation orders have been given in some areas due to the rapid rise in the water level of Kelani River.
Most of the deaths occurred in Kandy and Badulla, where many areas are still cut off.
“We have lost two people in our village… others are taking shelter in a temple and a house which is still standing,” said Saman Kumara of Badulla village in Masapanna.
“We can’t leave the village, and no one can come in because all the roads are blocked by landslides. There is no food, and we are also running out of clean water,” he told the News Center website by telephone.
The victims included 11 residents of an elderly care home that drowned in floods in the north-central district of Kurunegala on Saturday afternoon, police said.
Sixty-nine people were rescued from a bus submerged in water in Anuradhapura.
Speaking after a 24-hour rescue effort, one passenger told the AFP news agency how the navy had to help them climb onto the roof of a nearby building.
WM Shanta said, “We were very lucky… while we were on the roof, a portion of it collapsed… three women fell into the water, but were helped back to the roof.”
The government has issued an appeal for international aid and urged Sri Lankans abroad to donate money to aid the affected communities.
Cyclone Ditvah passed off the east coast of the island nation on Friday but has since moved away from the country.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing monsoon season, but it is rare to see extreme weather at this level on the island.
Sri Lanka’s worst flood in a century occurred in June 2003 when 254 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced.
The flooding comes as Southeast Asia also faces the region’s worst floods in years, affecting millions of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
<a href=