Daijiworld Media Network – Colombo
Colombo, Nov 29: Sri Lankan troops intensified rescue operations on Friday as floods and mudslides triggered by relentless rainfall claimed 69 lives, with 34 people still missing and thousands displaced across the island nation.
Helicopters and navy boats were deployed in multiple regions, rescuing stranded residents from rooftops, treetops and marooned villages. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said most casualties were reported from the central region, where people were buried alive in massive mudslides earlier this week.
Several parts of the island received up to 360 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, causing major rivers, including the Kelani River near Colombo, to overflow. In Kaduwela, just outside the capital, residents said the flooding was the worst seen in decades.
“I think this could be the worst flood in our area for three decades,” said 56-year-old V.S.A. Ratnayake, who evacuated his submerged home. Another resident, Kalyani, 48, said she was sheltering two neighbouring families after their houses were inundated.
The DMC reported that over 18,000 people have been shifted to temporary shelters, while at least 3,000 homes have been damaged. In Anuradhapura district, the Air Force airlifted a man who had climbed a coconut tree to escape rising floodwaters.
Officials said rainfall was intensifying due to Cyclone Ditwah, which is expected to move toward Tamil Nadu by Sunday. More heavy rain is forecast, with authorities warning that flood levels could surpass those of 2016, when 71 people died.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and offered immediate assistance from India. “We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves,” he said on X.
The severity of this week’s disaster marks Sri Lanka’s deadliest weather event since June last year and follows mounting warnings from experts that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of floods.
As rescue teams worked nonstop, Sri Lankan media broadcast desperate pleas from stranded residents, including a woman sheltering six people, among them a toddler. “If the water rises another five steps up the staircase, we will have nowhere to go,” she said.
Dozens of stranded tourists from the hill country were airlifted to Colombo as the island continued to battle one of its worst flood crises in recent years.