COLOMBO: Hundreds more remained missing across Sri Lanka on Monday, as rescuers continued to battle catastrophic flooding and landslides after Cyclone Ditwah, the worst natural disaster to hit the island in decades.
At least 355 people have been confirmed dead by Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center, and nearly 400 are missing, with most casualties reported in the Kandy, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts in the country’s central mountainous tea-growing regions.
More than 200,000 people are sheltering in 1,500 government-run safety centers, while about a third of the country is without electricity or running water.
Azmi Sheriff from Akurana in Kandy told Arab News that one of the neighborhoods in his area had been entirely buried in mud, and rescuers were struggling to recover the victims.
“One of the worst-affected areas is a place called Rambuke-ela. There has been a severe mudslide, and around 20 houses, or maybe more, were completely destroyed. About 50 people are dead, buried,” he said.
