Last week, Cyclone Ditwah unleashed Sri Lanka’s worst natural disaster in more than two decades, after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in 2004. The devastation from torrential rain, floods, and landslides is still unfolding, with 611 reported dead as of Saturday evening, and at least 213 still missing.
The cyclone battered the entire island, severely impacting 22 of its 25 districts. A United Nations-backed ‘Rapid Needs Assessment’ has flagged a high risk of food insecurity, severe crop damage, and widespread destruction of crucial infrastructure, including railway lines, roads, buildings, and electricity and telecom networks. Primary Health Centres across the nation’s villages and hundreds of schools have also been damaged.
The highest fatalities so far have been reported from Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle, and Matale districts, located in the island’s central and southern hill country, where a large number of Malaiyaha Tamil estate workers — one of Sri Lanka’s poorest communities — reside and work.
India was the first responder, mobilising its military personnel — particularly the National Disaster Response Force — to support Sri Lankan authorities in rescue efforts across the country, including in inundated and hard-to-access areas. Indian agencies rushed in field hospitals and are helping construct Bailey bridges to restore road access. While several countries are stepping in with financial aid and relief supplies, Sri Lanka has a long road to recovery, as communities affected rebuild their lives and livelihoods ravaged by the catastrophe.
(Text by Meera Srinivasan)
Photo:
AFP
After the fall: Uprooted trees line the damaged buildings in Gampola town following the landslide.
Photo:
Reuters
A drenched prince: Muddy floodwaters partially submerge a Buddha statue in Kelaniya following Cyclone Ditwah.
Photo:
Reuters
Grit through grief: In Kandy, people sift through the wreckage for survivors and possessions after landslides.
Photo:
Reuters
Desolate outlook: Amid the debris of a landslide in Gampola, Kandy, a woman holding a child observes the damage to a temple.
Photo:
AFP
Precious cargo: People carrying pets and other possessions make their way through a flooded street in Wellampitiya following heavy rain.
Rescue mission: Evacuation under way in Kotmale, Nuwara Eliya, for Indian passengers with the help of Sri Lankan authorities. Photo: Indian Air Force-X via ANI
Photo:
AFP
Picking up pieces: People salvage belongings from a flooded house after flash floods in Wellampitiya on the outskirts of Colombo.
Photo:
Reuters
For a spot of sun: Flood-hit residents collect their belongings from railway tracks in Kandy after drying them.
Photo:
AFP
On the edge: A damaged house perches dangerously at a landslide site in Warathenna, Kandy.
Photo:
AFP
Heartwarming gesture: Helping hands assist an elderly man across a flooded street in Wellampitiya.
Published – December 07, 2025 10:33 am IST
