Sri Lanka has entered a state of emergency after Cyclone Ditwah unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides that have killed at least 330 people and left vast parts of the country without electricity or running water.
The Disaster Management Centre said more than 196,000 people have been displaced, with 108,000 now sheltering in temporary centres and over 370 still missing as authorities struggle to account for entire communities cut off by the storm.
The worst devastation has been recorded in the central regions of Kandy and Badulla, where access roads have been washed out and rescue teams are battling blocked routes, landslips, and widespread power outages.
Officials estimate that around 20,000 homes have been destroyed in what is now considered Sri Lanka’s most severe weather disaster in years.
The government has appealed for urgent international assistance as relief efforts continue to be slowed by infrastructure damage. Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on the island’s eastern coast on Friday before moving away, but its trail of destruction has left authorities overwhelmed.
India has stepped in with emergency support, dispatching an air force aircraft loaded with 10 tonnes of relief supplies and deploying medical teams on the ground.
Additional assistance is being coordinated through India’s National Disaster Response Force, while helicopters from the INS Vikrant, currently docked in Colombo, are being mobilised to bolster rescue and aid operations across the hardest-hit regions.
🇮🇳 NDRF Teams Undertake Search & Rescue Ops in Sri Lanka’s Kochikade
The specially trained unit are working closely with 🇱🇰authorities as part of #OperationSagarBandhu
📹: @IndiainSL https://t.co/d2Z7vn9mrY pic.twitter.com/xZj8wfuHHA
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) November 30, 2025
