Sri Lanka seeks foreign help as Cyclone Ditwah death toll reaches 123 | Floods News

Nearly 44,000 people have been displaced by floods across the country as relief operations intensify amid widespread destruction.

Sri Lanka has appealed for international aid as the death toll from heavy rains and floods caused by Cyclone Ditvaha has risen to 123, while 130 others are reported missing.

The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 houses across the country, sending nearly 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said on Saturday.

Although Cyclone Ditvaah was moving north towards neighboring India on Saturday, more landslides have affected the central district of Kandy, 115 km (70 miles) east of the capital Colombo, with the main access road submerged under water in several places.

Announcing the latest casualty figures, DMC Director General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations have been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of members of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

“The relief operation is ongoing with the help of the armed forces,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo.

Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Secretary General Mahesh Gunasekara said many people were stranded in various flood-affected areas as rescue teams tried to reach them.

“The needs for relief are increasing. Even after two days, the water is rising,” he said.

“Although the cyclone is slowly moving away from the country, it is not over yet for us,” Gunasekara said.

The flooding prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders for people living along the Kelani River, which flows from Colombo into the Indian Ocean.

The DMC said Kelani broke its banks on Friday evening, forcing hundreds of people to move to temporary shelters.

The government issued an appeal for international help and asked Sri Lankans abroad to donate cash to assist the approximately half a million affected people.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya had met Colombo-based diplomats to brief them on the situation and seek help from their governments, officials said.

India was the first country to respond, sending two aircraft carrying relief supplies, while an Indian warship in Colombo on a previously planned goodwill visit donated its rations to help the victims.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the deaths in Sri Lanka and said New Delhi was ready to send more aid.

“We are ready to provide more assistance as the situation evolves,” Modi said at the summit.

While rainfall had eased over most parts of Sri Lanka, including the capital, on Saturday, parts of the north of the island were still receiving rain due to the residual effects of Cyclone Ditvaha.

DMC officials said they expect flood levels to exceed those recorded in 2016, when 71 people died across the country.

The weather-related deaths this week are the highest since June last year, when 26 people died due to heavy rains.

In December, 17 people died due to floods and landslides.