Cyclone Ditwa kills over 200 in Sri Lanka

A powerful cyclone Ditwa has caused heavy rains and landslides in the capital Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka. The country’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has confirmed 212 deaths so far. At least 218 people are missing, Reuters reported.
The central region was the worst hit by the cyclone, the report said. The true picture of the damage is slowly emerging as rescue workers begin clearing up trees and roads uprooted by landslides.
The DMC said in a statement that heavy rains and flooding across a large part of the South Asian island nation have affected about a million people. About 200,000 people have been forced to take shelter in 1,275 relief camps. The northern part of Colombo has been submerged since Saturday as the Kelani River has risen abnormally. Authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations.
The DMC said that although the cyclone has moved away from the main area, fresh flooding is occurring in low-lying areas along the river due to heavy rains upstream. However, rescue operations are also underway. More than 24,000 police, army and air force personnel are still trying to reach families trapped in the floods, authorities said.
The air force has evacuated more than 120 people by helicopter after the Mavil Aru reservoir dam in the eastern part of the island burst and water entered. About 2,000 more people have been evacuated to higher ground for safety, the army said in a statement. Authorities said that it will take at least another day for the water to recede in the capital Colombo. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast dry weather. Cyclone ‘Ditwa’ has already moved towards India.