635 Dead in Sri Lanka’s Cyclone Nightmare| Kandy Hit Hardest With 234 Lives Lost

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka is reeling from the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which has claimed 635 lives and left 192 people missing, according to the latest situation report from the Disaster Management Center at noon today.

The scale of devastation is staggering: 512,123 families — totaling 1,766,103 individuals — have been affected across 25 districts.

Entire communities have been torn apart. Kandy bears the heaviest toll with 234 deaths and 81 missing, followed by Badulla (90 deaths) and Nuwara Eliya (89 deaths). Other districts such as Kurunegala (61 deaths), Puttalam (37 deaths), and Kegalle (32 deaths) have also suffered severe losses.

The destruction of homes is widespread: 5,325 houses fully destroyed and 81,163 partially damaged, leaving thousands displaced. Relief efforts are underway with 690 safety centers sheltering 22,218 families and 69,861 individuals, but the need remains overwhelming.

Infrastructure damage has compounded the crisis, with landslides, broken roads, and submerged villages cutting off access to affected areas.

Emergency teams, including the Sri Lanka Army, international partners, and volunteer networks, are racing against time to deliver food, medicine, and shelter.

As Sri Lanka mourns its dead and struggles to rebuild, the resilience of its people shines through — united across race and religion, working tirelessly to help one another in the face of unprecedented disaster.