At least 153 people have been killed in Sri Lanka after landslips and flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah, officials said on Saturday (November 29, 2025), with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide.
More than 78,000 people have been moved to nearly 800 relief centres, mostly set up in schools, the Disaster Management Centre said.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency throughout the island in view of the emergency situation that has emerged following the devastation caused by a powerful cyclone even as India delivered more relief supplies to the island nation.
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Thousands of police, navy personnel and army troops are distributing food, clearing roads and moving trapped families to safety.
Worst flooding in a decade
Those who have found refuge in relief centres include Mallika Kumari, whose home was quickly submerged up to the roof on Friday. She bundled her three children into a rented lorry with her husband and spent the night by the roadside.
Kumari and her 554 neighbours live alongside the Kelani River in Malwana, 20 km (12 miles) from Colombo, and face the worst flooding in a decade.
Rescue boats are transporting stranded families, including Kumari, who hoped to collect her children’s clothes and school books from her home.
“I first heard about the flood warning on TV but we never expected the river to overflow so quickly. We just rushed out of the house without anything,” Kumari told Reuters.
“We haven’t even had breakfast. Two of my sons have caught the flu. I have to get them medication. I’ve brought a few garbage bags to collect their clothes.”
In the rush, Kumari left behind her cat, which was later picked up by a navy boat and brought to dry land.
Homes under water and without power
The flooding in Malwana and other low-lying areas near Colombo has left most homes under water and without power, authorities said.
A man carrying a child on his shoulder wades through a flooded street, following heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya, Sri Lanka, on November 28, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Meteorological authorities have forecast continued rains over the weekend, raising fears of further flooding in already waterlogged regions.
Some residents opted to remain in the upper floors of partially submerged homes, protecting their belongings.
Local businesses, including pharmacies, supermarkets and fabric shops are inundated, heightening concerns over financial losses as shop owners worry about long-term recovery.
At the Dalugala Thakiya Mosque, volunteers prepared rice parcels with chicken and dhal curry for flood victims, aiming to increase capacity by Sunday (November 30, 2025).
“We are getting more requests for food because people who work daily jobs cannot find work and are running low on savings,” said Risham Ahmed, one of the meal organisers.
“They are worried about how to piece their lives back together.”
India sends relief materials
Under its Operation Sagar Bandhu, India on Saturday (November 29, 2025) sent around 21 tonnes of relief materials in two military transport aircraft, a day after delivering the first tranche of over six tonnes of essential supplies.
India also sent two urban search and rescue teams comprising 80 National Disaster Response Force personnel even as two Chetak helicopters on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant joined the rescue efforts, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
A total of around 27 tonnes of relief materials delivered by air and sea and more is on the way, he said on social media.
As flight services were severely disrupted, the Indian High Commission in Colombo announced that it is setting up an emergency helpline at the Bandaranaike international airport in the Sri Lankan capital city to help Indian citizens in need of support.
The High Commission of India is providing all required assistance including food and water to Indian passengers stranded at the airport, the mission said.
According to an official gazette dated Friday and released on Saturday, the state of emergency has been declared throughout the island.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – November 29, 2025 12:30 pm IST
