56 confirmed deaths, at least 21 others missing

The country reeled under relentless, countrywide rainfall on Friday as helicopters, Navy boats and thousands of troops fanned out across the country to rescue those marooned by floods, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. Torrential rains drenched the entire 65,000-square-kilometre island, with some regions recording a staggering 360 millimetres in just 24 hours.

Authorities warned that the Kelani River was on the verge of bursting its banks by yesterday evening. Residents living along its path were urged to flee to higher ground as waters continued to surge.

V. S. A. Ratnayake, 56, who had abandoned his flooded home in Kaduwela, as water levels rose rapidly, told the media: “I think this could be the worst flood in our area for three decades. I remember a flood in the 1990s when my house was under seven feet of water.”

The scale of the military response underscored the gravity of the crisis. The Army deployed more than 20,000 troops, while the Navy dispatched boats to evacuate marooned villagers and clear fallen debris choking waterways. Air Force helicopters were also pressed into service, including a dramatic mission in Anuradhapura where a Bell 212 airlifted a man clinging to a coconut tree to escape rising waters. Military footage showed similar rescues taking place across multiple districts.

Of the 56 confirmed deaths, 26 were buried alive in mudslides in the tea-growing Badulla district.

Another 21 people are missing, while 14 remain hospitalised, according to the DMC. Nearly 3,000 homes were damaged and almost 15,000 people have been moved into temporary shelters as floodwaters engulfed communities from the central hills to the northern plains.

In Ruwanwella, a woman, identified only as Akma, issued a desperate plea for help, via the Sirasa TV. Speaking from the second floor of her home, she said the entire ground floor was underwater. “We are six people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child. If the water rises another five steps up the staircase, we will have nowhere to go,” she said.

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake confirmed that 60 stranded Indian tourists were rescued from the central province and brought to Colombo.

The DMC warned that more rain is expected over the weekend, with Cyclone Ditwah forecast to drift northwards toward India’s Tamil Nadu coast by Sunday. Officials fear flooding could surpass levels seen in 2016, when 71 people were killed, nationwide.

Residents along the Kelani River were already witnessing the speed and severity of the deluge. “I sent my children and wife to her sister’s house last night because we expected this,” said M.A. Madushantha, 38, whose home was inundated within hours.

The government moved quickly to limit public exposure, suspending nationwide school examinations for two days and granting civil servants a day off.