COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 7 — Cyclone Ditwah and heavy monsoon rains have pushed the death toll in Asia to more than 1,800, with Indonesia and Sri Lanka among the hardest-hit nations, authorities said.
In Indonesia, floods and landslides on Sumatra island have claimed over 900 lives, while Sri Lanka reported 627 fatalities linked to Ditwah. The Disaster Management Centre in Sri Lanka said unstable hillsides and ongoing rains continue to threaten communities in the central highlands and northwestern regions.
“Relief teams are working round the clock to reach stranded villages,” the DMC said. Helicopters and aircraft are ferrying essentials to isolated areas, and international aid, including a planeload of supplies from Myanmar, has begun arriving.
More than two million people in Sri Lanka have been affected, with 100,000 currently housed in temporary camps. Damage assessments show over 75,000 homes impacted, nearly 5,000 destroyed, and early estimates suggest reconstruction could cost USD 7 billion.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told lawmakers that the nation’s economic recovery remains fragile and will require international assistance to rebuild from the catastrophe. The IMF is reviewing a USD 200 million request to support reconstruction.
