Sri Lanka faces biggest natural disaster since 2004 tsunami

Trail of destruction

My house is completely flooded. I don’t know where to go, but I hope there is some safe shelter to take my family to. Selvi, a resident of the suburb of Wennawatte, in the capital Colombo, left her house flooded

Another resident of Wellawaya, in central Sri Lanka, told reporters after arriving at a shelter: “I saw trees falling and moving along with the rocks. We are afraid to go home.” The drop in water levels in the city of Manampitiya, 250 kilometers from Colombo, also revealed a huge trail of destruction. “Manampitiya is a flood-prone city, but I have never seen such a volume of water,” said S. Sivanandan, a 72-year-old local resident.

International aid

A helicopter transporting food to some of those affected fell into a river during relief operations. The five crew members were taken to a nearby hospital. Another aircraft sent by India rescued 24 people in the city of Kotmale, about 90 kilometers from the capital, officials said. Pakistan has also sent rescue teams, according to the Sri Lanka Air Force, while Japan will send a team to assess immediate needs.

The National Construction Research Organization, which monitors the stability of slopes, warned of a high risk of new landslides, as the hills remain saturated with water. The National Blood Transfusion Service reported that stocks were low. The worst flood since the beginning of the century in the country occurred in June 2003, when 254 people died.