Officials say the death toll could rise further as the country still fears more flooding from Cyclone Ditvah in the next 12 hours.
The cyclone hit the east coast of Sri Lanka on Friday morning.
Most of the deaths so far were caused by landslides triggered by more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in eastern and central regions, according to officials.
According to the Disaster Management Centre, about 44,000 people have been affected across the country, with thousands of them taking shelter in schools and public shelters.
Heavy rains have caused most rivers and reservoirs to overflow, with at least 3,000 homes damaged by landslides and floods.
The major carrier, SriLankan Airlines, said on Friday evening that they were monitoring weather conditions in view of the widespread delays.
India begins relief efforts, prepares for heavy rains
Neighboring India launched a relief operation to aid Sri Lanka and delivered 6.5 metric tonnes of food, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted a ton of
According to Sri Lankan authorities, the current flood levels are the worst since 2016. That year, torrential rains killed more than 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island nation of more than 23 million.
The cyclone is moving towards the southern tip of India, where the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for some coastal areas of the state.There is a possibility of very heavy rainfall in the southern part of the country.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
<a href