Sri Lanka has appealed for international assistance as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing.
The government issued an appeal for international help and asked Sri Lankans abroad to make donations to support nearly half a million affected people.
In an announcement on Saturday, the Sri Lankan High Commission in the Maldives said they were seeking donations from Sri Lankans abroad as well as well-wishers in order to support disaster relief measures.
Account details for USD donations/contributions:
Account number: 021083514
Account name (beneficiary): Central Bank of Sri Lanka
Account details for Sri Lankan Rupee donations/contributions:
Account number: 50516
Account name: DST
The Sri Lankan High Commission has also assigned three officers to coordinate donations, and provide assistance in contacting families and friends in Sri Lanka, and in traveling to Sri Lanka.
They are:
Thimuthu Dissanayake, First Secretary
WhatsApp number: 0094 703583583
Email: [email protected]
Sujitha Gunathilaka, Second Secretary
WhatsApp number: 0096 7717858
Email: [email protected]
Dilini Suwa Suwandaratne, Personal Assistant
WhatsApp number: 0096 7662788
Email: [email protected]
Cyclone Ditwah, which hit Sri Lanka on November 26, has affected 373,428 people from 102,877 families, while 43,925 people have been relocated to 488 shelters in response to the crisis.
The Kandy District has reported 51 deaths, with 67 people still unaccounted for. In the Badulla District, 35 deaths have been confirmed, and 27 people remain missing, local news provider Ada Derana reported on Saturday.
Other districts have also been affected, with nine deaths in Kegalle, eight in Matale, six in Nuwara Eliya, and five in Ampara.
Severe weather, including intense rainfall, rising floodwaters, and landslides, has been impacting the island since November 17.
Authorities have also issued high-risk flood alerts for several major rivers, advising people living downstream of these waterways to evacuate immediately.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered the deployment of more than 20,000 military personnel to conduct rescue operations, according to the Daily Mirror.
Authorities earlier issued a red-alert landslide warning for eight high-risk districts, signaling a severe risk to steep slopes, hillside communities, and vulnerable zones.
According to the All India Radio, Ditwah is likely to move India’s southern coast in Tamil Nadu state by early Sunday, disrupting flight services and education in some regions.