Colombo, Nov 30: More than 20,000 homes have been destroyed in Sri Lanka following the ‘Dithwa’ cyclone. The country’s disaster management department reported that over 100,000 people have been accommodated in government-run temporary shelters.

Sampath Kutowegoda, the department’s director general, said that over 159 people have died and more than 200 remain missing. He added that the army, air force, and navy are assisting with relief and rescue operations.

In Badulla district in central Sri Lanka, many areas remain inaccessible by road, leaving conditions chaotic. Delivering relief to villages has been challenging. In the hardest-hit villages, people are taking shelter in temples and homes. Landslides have destroyed roads, preventing outsiders from reaching these areas, and shortages of food and drinking water are reported.

Authorities stated that electricity and water supply are disrupted in about one-third of the country, and internet services are also down in many regions. In Kandy, 115 kilometers east of Colombo, landslides have blocked roads, making travel to many areas impossible.

Officials said this is the largest natural disaster Sri Lanka has faced in the past eight years. In 2017, floods and landslides claimed around 200 lives and left millions homeless.

 People’s News Monitoring Service

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