‘Neighbourhoods buried under mud’: Sri Lanka floods death toll reaches 334 | Floods News

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditvaha.

At least 334 people have been confirmed dead across Sri Lanka as authorities battle rising floodwaters in parts of the capital Colombo after a powerful cyclone left a trail of destruction.

In an update on Sunday, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said around 400 people were missing and warned that more heavy rains due to Cyclone Ditvah were likely across the island nation in the coming days.

Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror publication reported that the missing included five navy personnel who were last seen trying to cut off flowing water at a naval sub-station at Chalai Lagoon in the north-east of the country.

According to the DMC, the extreme weather system has destroyed about 15,000 houses across the country, sending about 44,000 people to government temporary shelters.

Officials said more than 24,000 police, army and air force personnel were still trying to reach families trapped in the floods.

Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Sammanthurai in east central Sri Lanka, said the country is struggling to deal with the cyclone’s aftermath.

“Some neighborhoods are completely buried in mud and each one brings more despair,” he said. “Communications have also broken down, and there are some areas that have yet to send updates.”

In other areas, newly planted rice was submerged in water due to persistent rains, Fernandez said.

The northern part of Colombo is also facing major flooding as the water level in the Kelani River continues to rise, the DMC said.

“Though the cyclone has left us, now due to heavy rains, low-lying areas along the Kelani river are inundated,” a DMC official said.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone and appealed for international assistance.

India was the first country to respond, sending two helicopters with relief material and crew to conduct rescue operations. Japan said it would send a team to assess immediate needs and promised further assistance.

The DMC said rainfall had eased across the island, but many roads in the worst-hit central province remained impassable.

The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 20,000 homes and sent 122,000 people into state-run temporary shelters. Another 833,000 people were in need of assistance after being displaced by floods.

Army, Navy and Air Force troops have been deployed along with civilian workers and volunteers to assist in relief efforts.

Nearly a third of the country remains without electricity or running water due to downed power lines and flooded water treatment facilities, officials said. Internet connection has also been disrupted.

The cyclone has become Sri Lanka’s deadliest natural disaster since 2017, when floods and landslides killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people died33.