123 Dead, Several Missing In Sri Lanka As Cyclone Ditwah Wreaks Havoc India Deploys NDRF Teams Under Op Sagar Bandhu

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Torrential rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have killed 123 people across Sri Lanka, the Disaster Management Centre said Saturday. Another 130 people have been reported missing by the agency till 9 am.

More than 200,000 people from 61,000 families have been affected by the disaster, it said.

However, Central Province's Kandy relief officials said the death toll could be much higher as the toll in the Kandy district itself had reached more than 50 by late Friday night and remained unverified officially.

Badulla in the central hills is another district badly hit by landslides with many people missing and over 35 dead.

The flooding situation in low-lying areas worsened on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for those living along the banks of the Kelani River, which flows into the Indian Ocean from Colombo.

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

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Rains have subsided in most parts of the island country, including the capital, but parts of the island's north were experiencing showers due to the residual effects of Cyclone Ditwah.

The weather system is moving away from the island towards neighbouring India, the DMC said.

The weather bureau said more rains over 200 mm were expected to fall, although Ditwah may exit the island by late Saturday.

Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst disasters as cyclonic storm Ditwah wreaked havoc, causing floods and landslides that left a trail of destruction and damage to infrastructure.

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Cyclone Ditwah is expected to make landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh between the evening of November 29 and the morning of November 30.

The impact of the cyclone is expected to be widespread and will be felt on 30 November in multiple states, including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Also Read | Cyclone Ditwah: India sends relief materials to Sri Lanka under Op Sagar Bandhu Operation Sagar Bandhu

India on Friday launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' to assist Sri Lanka in its hour of crisis, and the first tranche of relief materials was handed over after the consignments were transported by the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and frontline ship INS Udaigiri to the island nation.

The Indian Air Force on Saturday delivered 21 tonnes of relief material along with over 80 NDRF personnel and eight tonnes of equipment to Sri Lanka to assist those displaced by devastating floods.

They also promptly deployed one C-130 and one IL-76 from Hindon Air Base on the night of intervening night of Friday and Saturday, airlifting 21 tonnes of relief material along with over 80 NDRF personnel and eight tonnes of equipment.

Essential rations and critical supplies have been delivered to support affected communities, it said.

(With agency inputs)

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