The Disaster Management Center in Sri Lanka raised the death toll to 159 and the number of missing to more than 200 as a result of the heavy rains that rocked the country due to the passage of Cyclone Ditwah, which forced the evacuation of more than 120,000 people.
More than 830,000 people were affected by the floods, and forecasts from the Meteorological Department of the Sri Lankan government indicated continued rainfall during the coming hours in several areas of the country.
It is expected that the wind speed will reach 90 kilometers per hour, and in coastal areas the height of the waves may reach three meters, which will cause a complex situation in the sea in several areas, which the government agency described as “extremely rough.”
Badulla and Kandy districts were the worst affected, with 52 deaths in each and nearly 150 people missing in both districts.
This Sunday, police warned residents to stay away from damaged areas such as roads or bridges due to possible collapses or landslides as this could pose a serious safety risk.
The National Blood Transfusion Service called on citizens to go to authorized centers to donate blood as they face problems collecting the daily supply, according to the Daily Mirror.
Main railway line services were canceled throughout the day on Saturday due to heavy rains that left train tracks submerged in water, and the country’s Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency in hospital centers for a week, until next December 4, to ensure health services while the effects of the storm continue.
Sri Lanka’s President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, issued a declaration of a state of public emergency for the entire country in the Official Gazette to “ensure security, maintain the normal functioning of the country and protect supplies and services necessary for public life,” according to Sri Lankan news portal Adadirana.