At least fifty six people have died and twenty one remain missing in Sri Lanka after days of intense rain triggered severe floods and landslides, according to the Disaster Management Centre. The renewed surge of rain linked to Cyclone Ditwah has created one of the most damaging weather events the island has faced in recent years.
The rising toll highlights the scale of the disaster, which has displaced tens of thousands of people and disrupted transport across the country. Officials warn that river levels are still climbing and that conditions may worsen as more rain moves inland.
The deadliest single incident occurred in Badulla, a tea producing district in the central highlands. A landslide swept over homes during the night and killed twenty one people, the Disaster Management Centre said in an update on Friday. Rescue workers spent the morning searching through soil and wreckage for survivors.
The arrival of Cyclone Ditwah along the eastern coast brought fresh rain and stronger winds. Social media footage shows houses being pulled away by fast moving water as rivers burst their banks and flooded residential areas. Train services have been suspended across the country, with only a small number of essential routes still operating.
Authorities described Ditwah as a deep depression earlier in the week. It later strengthened into a cyclone as it passed close to the eastern shoreline.
River levels have continued to climb across central and western regions. The Irrigation Department issued a red level flood warning for low lying areas of the Kelani River valley for the next forty eight hours. The warning covers several districts, including Colombo.
Emergency teams have urged residents near major waterways to move to safer ground. Nearly forty four thousand people have already been affected. The army has deployed around twenty thousand troops to assist with rescue and relief work, according to the Disaster Management Centre.
During a parliamentary session on Friday, MP Ajith Perera asked the government to intervene after receiving reports about a stranded bus near the Kala Wewa reservoir in the central region. He said the passengers had been stuck for more than an hour and requested authorisation for an air rescue.
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Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara confirmed the bus had been halted by police officers because the route had become unsafe. He told lawmakers that armed forces were already involved and that a helicopter had been cleared for the mission. He said the passengers would be brought to safety.
The armed forces later reported several helicopter operations in Anuradhapura, including the rescue of a man who had spent the night on top of a coconut tree as floodwaters rose. The Sri Lankan Air Force said he was airlifted to safety on Friday morning.
Sri Lanka’s meteorological service expects some central and northern districts to receive more than two hundred millimetres of rain on Friday.