(MENAFN) Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide state of emergency after Cyclone Ditwah triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides that have killed at least 330 people, officials said Sunday.

According to the country’s disaster management center, more than 108,000 residents have been moved into temporary shelters and over 370 people are still unaccounted for. Authorities estimate that roughly 20,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 196,000 people displaced, marking the nation’s most severe weather disaster in years.

The worst casualties were recorded in Kandy and Badulla, areas where many communities remain unreachable due to damaged infrastructure.

Government officials appealed for international support as the cyclone, which struck the island’s east coast on Friday, has since shifted away from Sri Lanka. Relief efforts, however, continue to face heavy disruptions from landslides, power outages, and blocked roads.

India has rushed emergency aid, dispatching an IAF aircraft carrying 10 tons of disaster-relief materials along with a medical team. India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is working alongside Sri Lankan authorities to coordinate rescue efforts, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said.

New Delhi is also deploying helicopters from the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, currently docked in Colombo, to bolster ongoing rescue and humanitarian operations across the island.

MENAFN01122025000045017169ID1110417695