News
Country reels under worst weather in living memory
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.
A sum of LKR. 9,687,462, raised from day’s salary officers of the Police Department, has been donated to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to support the recovery of communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah and to assist in rebuilding the country following the disaster.
To date, officers of the Police Department have contributed over LKR. 74 million to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund through three such contributions of one day’s salary.
The donation was presented on Wednesday (22) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat by the Personal Assistant to the Inspector General of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police C. C. Bamunuarachchi, to the Secretary to the President, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Chief Inspector Udaya Kumara, Officer-in-Charge of the Police Secretariat, was also present on the occasion.
[Presidents Media Division]
Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Eastern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 26 April 2026, valid for 27 April 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Eastern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry
of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has called for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate the illegal diversion of Treasury funds, amounting to US$2.5 million to a third-party account.
Premadasa has said both the chairmanship and a majority of the Committee’s membership should be held by the Opposition to ensure impartiality.
The government has not only failed to account for the loss of US$2.5 million but also deliberately withheld information from Parliament, the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) and the public, Premadasa has told the media, accusing the ruling party of seeking to deflect responsibility by initiating an internal departmental inquiry, which he describes as a biased process designed to justify predetermined conclusions.
The Opposition Leader has said only a transparent and independent probe could establish the facts, adding that such an investigation could be effectively carried out through a Parliamentary Select Committee led by the Opposition.
He has also warned that the alleged failure to inform Parliament about the missing funds amounted to a serious breach of accountability.
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Eastern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time
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