COLOMBO — Entire areas of Sri Lanka’s capital were flooded on Sunday after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens more missing.
Officials said the extent of the damage in the country’s worst-affected central region was only just being revealed as relief workers cleared roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said at least 193 people had died following a week of heavy rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah, while 228 people were missing.
The northern parts of Colombo were flooded as the water level in the Kelani River rose rapidly, the DMC said.
The cyclone has become Sri Lanka’s deadliest natural disaster since 2017, when flooding and landslides claimed more than 200 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency on Saturday to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone and appealed for international aid.
India was the first to respond, sending relief supplies and two helicopters with crew to carry out rescue missions.
Japan said it will send a team to assess immediate needs and pledged further assistance.
While the rains have subsided across the island, several roads in the worst-affected central province remained inaccessible, the DMC said.
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 required assistance after being displaced by the floods.
Troops from the army, navy, and air force have been deployed alongside civilian workers and volunteers to assist with the relief effort.
Officials reported that about a third of the country remains without electricity or running water due to collapsed power lines and inundated water purification facilities. Internet connections have also been disrupted.
