Cyclone Ditwah Triggers Red Alert in India as Sri Lanka Death Toll Rises to 123
India has issued a red alert for parts of its southern coast as Cyclone Ditwah advances toward Tamil Nadu, after the powerful storm devastated Sri Lanka, killing at least 123 people and leaving more than 130 missing.
Cyclone Ditwah formed off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast earlier in the week and swept across the island on Wednesday, unleashing torrential rains, landslides and widespread flooding. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded the system to a cyclonic storm on Thursday as it moved into the southwest Bay of Bengal.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a nationwide state of emergency to accelerate rescue and relief efforts. The regulation, published on Saturday, aims to fast-track the deployment of military, police and health services as authorities struggle to reach stranded communities.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), nearly 44,000 people have been displaced and moved to temporary shelters. Relief operations—supported by the armed forces—are ongoing across several hard-hit districts including Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa, where landslides buried homes and entire villages remain cut off.
Although rainfall has eased in many parts of the country, swollen rivers and flooded roads continue to hamper evacuation efforts. Some residents remain stranded on rooftops, treetops and isolated high ground as water levels remain dangerously high two days after the cyclone’s passage.
The IMD says the storm is tracking toward the north Tamil Nadu coast and is expected to make its closest approach between Cuddalore and Puducherry by early Sunday, bringing extremely heavy rain, wind speeds of 80–90 km/h and hazardous sea conditions. Coastal Tamil Nadu districts—including Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Chengalpattu and Tiruvarur—are under a red alert, while Chennai and its suburbs have been placed on orange alert for potential flooding and transport disruption. Fishermen have been advised to remain ashore.
Parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are also forecast to experience increased rainfall as the system nears the Indian coastline. Authorities say a direct landfall is unlikely but warn the storm will pass close enough to produce damaging winds and flooding.
In Sri Lanka, the military has deployed more than 20,000 personnel, along with helicopters and boats, to support search-and-rescue operations. Several major highways remain blocked, train services have been widely suspended and A-Level examinations have been postponed. Rainfall totals surpassed 300mm in some northern districts within 24 hours.
The worst-hit area so far is the central tea-growing region of Badulla, where a landslide engulfed homes overnight, killing at least 21 people. Videos shared on social media show houses being swept away by fast-rising floodwaters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to Sri Lanka and said emergency aid has already been dispatched under Operation Sagar Bandhu. India has sent two search-and-rescue teams comprising 80 personnel along with essential relief materials, and pledged further assistance as the situation develops.
While Sri Lanka frequently experiences monsoon-related flooding, officials say destruction on this scale is rare. The country’s worst flooding in recent history occurred in 2003, when 254 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
