Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency across the island after days of severe flooding and destruction triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake issued the emergency order through an official gazette published on Saturday, following mounting appeals from opposition leaders and medical associations for urgent action.
The emergency regulations are intended to accelerate the deployment of troops, police, health workers, civil administration teams, and the civil defence force to regions worst hit by the disaster. Officials said the measures would help streamline rescue missions, restore basic services, and deliver essential relief to thousands of affected families.
Opposition leaders had unanimously urged for an emergency declaration during an all-party meeting on Friday. The island’s doctors’ trade union also wrote to the president, stressing the need for swift, coordinated intervention as health risks rise in submerged and cut-off communities.
Cyclone Ditwah moved out of Sri Lanka on Saturday, heading towards India’s southern coastline. However, meteorological officials warned that heavy rains and strong winds would persist.
Athula Karunanayake, director general of the meteorology department, said the storm’s indirect effects would continue for some time, even as the system drifted away from the island. As of Saturday morning, the Disaster Management Centre reported 123 deaths and 130 people missing. Officials said the toll is likely to rise as communication remains down in several severely affected regions, delaying verification of casualties and damage.
#OperationSagarBandhu unfolds. @IAF_MCC C-130 J plane carrying approx 12 tons of humanitarian aid including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat food items lands in Colombo.
🇮🇳 🇱🇰 pic.twitter.com/btzlnZeO8x
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 29, 2025
In Badulla district alone, authorities have confirmed 49 deaths and 41 people missing. Entire pockets of the district remain unreachable due to landslides and washed-out roads, said chief district administrator Prabath Abeywardena.
Nuwara Eliya is facing a similar crisis. Thushari Tennakoon, the district’s chief administrator, said most areas have remained out of contact since Thursday, with more than 50 deaths already confirmed.
Amid the chaos, the military has carried out several complex rescue missions. In one operation, naval teams saved 68 passengers stranded on the roof of a bus in Kalaoya, Northwestern Province. The vehicle had been swept onto a bridge by sudden floodwaters, forcing passengers to spend 29 hours trapped before help could reach them.
India has rushed emergency assistance to its neighbour, sending two transport aircraft carrying paramilitary personnel and relief supplies. The C-130 and IL-76 aircraft were deployed as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, New Delhi’s humanitarian mission to support Sri Lanka during its unfolding crisis.
