December 02, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka is facing an increasingly grim aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, with the Disaster Management Centre confirming that the nationwide death toll has surged to 465.
Rescue teams, stretched thin across multiple districts, are still searching for 366 missing people, many of whom were last seen in areas cut off by landslides or swift-moving floodwaters.
The central highlands remain the hardest hit. Kandy District, where communities have endured days of torrential rain, has reported 118 fatalities, the highest in the country. Several villages in the region remain accessible only by air or via makeshift routes cleared by local volunteers.
Fresh data indicate that more than 1.55 million people, representing 437,507 families, have been affected across all 25 districts. Officials say the true extent of the devastation may take days to fully ascertain, as some areas are still grappling with intermittent rains and unstable slopes.
The cyclone’s impact on housing has been particularly severe, with 783 homes completely destroyed and a further 31,417 damaged, many beyond quick repair. As a result, 232,752 individuals from 61,875 families are currently taking refuge in 1,433 temporary shelters, where aid workers are attempting to provide food, bedding and medical assistance under difficult conditions.
District-level casualty figures released by the authorities paint a stark picture:
Kandy: 118 dead, 171 missing
Nuwara Eliya: 89 dead, 73 missing
Badulla: 83 dead, 28 missing
Kurunegala: 53 dead, 27 missing
Matale: 28 dead, 2 missing
Puttalam: 27 dead, 8 missing
Kegalle: 22 dead, 48 missing
Gampaha: 11 dead, 2 missing
