More than 120 people have died due to Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, as the country’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency throughout the island due to the cyclone.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency throughout the island in view of the situation that has emerged due to Cyclone Ditwah. The cyclone exited the nation and left more than 120 people dead.
As per an official gazette, which was dated Friday and released on Saturday, the state of emergency has been declared throughout the island.
This came after an all-party meeting on Friday in which the opposition leaders called for the state of emergency to be declared. The doctors’ trade union had also written a letter to the President and had highlighted the need to impose a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, the regulations now in place are likely to expedite the process of relief coordination and rescue operations with speedy deployment of troops, police, the health sector, civil administration and the civil defence force to tackle the prevailing situation in the island, officials said.
Ditwah leaves more than 120 dead
Meanwhile, the cyclone left more than 120 people dead on the island amid a trail of destruction and damage to infrastructure. The cyclone enters the south Indian coastal line, meteorological officials said.
“We noticed Ditwah exiting Sri Lanka and heading towards the Indian coast,” Athula Karunanayake, director general of the meteorology department, told reporters. “However, its indirect impact with heavy rains and high-speed winds will remain for some time.”
Meanwhile, the official death toll at 9 am was 123, while 130 remain missing, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC). Notably, the cyclone left communication breakdowns in the severely affected areas due to the bad weather.ย
Due to the breakdown of the communication, the death toll is expected to be much higher, as it has hampered verification of the impact of the disaster.
India helps Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu
Meanwhile, India dispatched a C-130J aircraft with 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Colombo on Saturday (November 29), under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’, following Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar announced the aid landing, including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat meals, marking the second major shipment in 24 hours. INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri had delivered 4.5 tonnes of dry rations, 2 tonnes of fresh rations, and essentials the prior day, underscoring swift HADR coordination.โ