COLOMBO: Cyclone Ditwah swept northward across Sri Lanka on Friday, leaving 46 people dead and 23 missing amid widespread floods, with torrential rain and strong winds expected to cause more flooding in the next 12 hours.
Most deaths were caused by landslides triggered by more than 300mm (12 inches) of rainfall in the eastern and central regions, according to officials.
Nearly 44,000 people were affected nationwide, and many sought refuge in schools and public shelters, according to the Disaster Management Center (DMC).
The Irrigation Department said it expected the floods that have already affected countless areas across southern and eastern Sri Lanka, including many parts of the capital, Colombo, to spread even further.
The Colombo Stock Exchange halted trading early, and schools and train services remained suspended. Military and police coordinated evacuations, including the airlifting of 13 people trapped on a bridge in Polonnaruwa, 220 km northeast of Colombo, the air force said.
Numerous families trapped on rooftops and one man stranded on top of a coconut tree were also airlifted to safety, air force footage released to media showed.
Heavy rains disrupted operations at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), forcing the diversion of 15 flights to airports including Trivandrum and Cochin in south India, Sri Lanka’s Airport and Aviation Services said.
India delivered 6.5 metric tons of food aid to assist in relief efforts, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said as Cyclone Ditwah moved across Sri Lanka toward southern India.
Over 20,000 police and military stepped up evacuations in multiple towns including the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s largest city Colombo, after authorities warned of rising flood waters.
“Strong winds are making the floods worse. We removed furniture from two nearby houses to a safer area, and now I’m going to the shelter to stay with the rest of my family,” said Mohammed Rumy, a 70-year-old resident of Colombo’s Wellampitiya suburb.
Sri Lanka braces for more flooding as Cyclone Ditwah claims 46 lives
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Sri Lanka braces for more flooding as Cyclone Ditwah claims 46 lives
- Most deaths were caused by landslides triggered by more than 300mm of rainfall
- Nearly 44,000 people were affected nationwide, and many sought refuge in schools and public shelters
Norway moves some of its 60 soldiers in Middle East due to security situation
- Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected
- Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries
COPENHAGEN: Norway is relocating some of the around 60 soldiers it has in the Middle East to Norway as well as to other countries in the region on security grounds, a spokesperson for the Norwegian armed forces said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday it must make a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen, setting a deadline of 10 to 15 days, drawing a threat from Tehran to retaliate against US bases in the region if attacked.
Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected.
“These are soldiers who have jobs like training local forces and other missions,” Lt. Col. Vegard Finberg from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters told Reuters.
“The way the situation is now, it’s not possible for them to do their primary tasks, and that’s why we are relocating them,” he said, adding other nations had made similar moves in recent days.
Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries.
