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‘Neighbourhoods buried under mud’: Sri Lanka floods death toll reaches 334
At least 334 people have been confirmed dead across Sri Lanka as authorities continue to battle rising floodwaters in parts of the capital, Colombo, after a powerful cyclone left a trail of destruction.
In an update on Sunday, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Sunday nearly 400 people remain missing and warned that more heavy rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah are expected across the island nation in the coming days.
It has been reported that among those missing were five Navy personnel who were last seen trying to cut off overflowing water at a Naval sub-station in Chalai Lagoon, northeast of the country.
The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, according to the DMC.
More than 24,000 police, army and air force personnel are still trying to reach families stranded by floods, authorities said.
Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Sammanthurai in east central Sri Lanka, said the country is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the cyclone.
“Some neighbourhoods are completely buried under mud, and each one brings more despair,” she said. “Communication has also broken down, and there are some areas that have yet to send updates.”
In other areas, newly planted rice was submerged in water due to relentless rain, Fernandez added.
The northern part of Colombo was also facing a major flood, as the water level in the Kelani River continued to rise, DMC said.
“Although the cyclone has left us, heavy rains upstream are now flooding low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River,” a DMC official said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state emergency today [Saturday] to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone and appealed for international aid.
India was the first to respond, sending relief supplies and two helicopters with crew to carry out rescue missions. Japan said it will send a team to assess immediate needs and pledged further assistance.
While the rains have subsided across the island, several roads in the worst-affected central province remained inaccessible, the DMC said.
The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 20,000 homes and sent 122,000 people into state-run temporary shelters. Another 833,000 people required assistance after being displaced by the floods.
Troops from the army, navy, and air force have been deployed alongside civilian workers and volunteers to assist with the relief effort.
Officials reported that about a third of the country remains without electricity or running water due to collapsed power lines and inundated water purification facilities. Internet connections have also been disrupted.
The cyclone has become Sri Lanka’s deadliest natural disaster since 2017, when flooding and landslides killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The worst flooding since the turn of the century occurred in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.
[Aljazeera]
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Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for the sea areas extending from Kankasanthurai to Chilaw via Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota
Advisory for Strong Winds and Rough Seas
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre at 04.30 p.m. 28 May 2026 For the period from 04.30 p.m. 28 May 2026 to 04.30 p.m. 29 May 2026.
Please be prepared as the sea areas extending from Kankasanthurai to Chilaw via Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota will be rough at times with strong gusty winds up to (60-65) kmph.
The naval and fishing communities who are engaged in fishing and naval activities in the above sea areas are requested to be vigilant in this regard
The West Indies men’s side will play home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan during the 2026 season, with the tours of Sri Lanka and Pakistan including Test matches, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Thursday.
Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, will host the white-ball matches against Sri Lanka between June 3 and 14, with the Test matches, which will start on June 25 and July 3, to be played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at North Sound in Antigua.
The New Zealand tour will only feature five ODIs, to be played at Guyana’s National Stadium (first three) and Kensington Oval in Barbados (last two) between July 11 and 21.
Pakistan will then visit the Caribbean for two Tests, to be played from July 25 to 29 and August 2 to 6, both in Trinidad and Tobago, but at different venues: the first at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, which will be the ground’s inaugural Test, and the second at Queen’s Park Oval.
The Test matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be part of the ICC World Tet Championship. where West Indies are currently placed last (ninth) after seven losses in eight games in the ongoing 2025-27 cycle.
Guyana was originally due to host all five ODIs against New Zealand, but “logistical challenges” forced a change.
“Cricket West Indies engaged in discussions with the government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana regarding logistical challenges associated with hosting the five ODIs. Subsequently, the governments of Guyana and Barbados proposed a collaborative arrangement to share the matches and associated operational costs between the two territories,” CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said in a statement.
“Following consultation with New Zealand Cricket, Cricket West Indies approved the arrangement as part of its continued commitment to delivering a successful and memorable series for players, fans, and the wider Caribbean community.”
Sri Lanka tour
June 6 – 2nd ODI at Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 9 – 3rd ODI at Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 11 – 1st T20I at Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 13 – 2nd T20I at Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 14 – 3rd T20I at Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 25-29 – 1st Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua & Barbuda
July 3-7 – 2nd Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua & Barbuda
New Zealand tour
July 13 – 2nd ODI at Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
July 16 – 3rd ODI at Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
July 19 – 4th ODI at Kensington Oval, Barbados
July 21 – 5th ODI at Kensington Oval, Barbados
Pakistan tour
August 2-6 – 2nd Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has targeted an American air base in the region, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran.
The IRGC did not say where the base was, but Kuwait, which hosts a US base, said it had intercepted “hostile missile and drone threats”, without specifying where they were coming from.
Earlier the US military said it had shot down Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz and struck a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city.
The renewed hostilities threaten a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.
It is the second time in three days that the US has attacked targets in Iran – saying that the strikes were conducted in self defence.
The site in Bandar Abbas was struck as it was about to launch a fifth drone, US Central Command (Centcom) said. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard to the east of the city.
Centcom described its actions as “measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire”.
It also said its forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones “that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz”.
The IRGC said it had targeted an American air base “that served as the source of the attack” on Bandar Abbas, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai condemned the US strikes and said they constituted a violation of the ceasefire.
He added that the Islamic republic would “take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty”, according to quotes cited by IRIB.
Earlier this week, the US confirmed a previous round of “self-defence” strikes on southern Iran on Monday in which they targeted Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines in the Strait, where thousands of commercial tanker ships are stranded as a result of the conflict.
Centcom said those strikes were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”.
The US also imposed sanctions on the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” – the Iranian body tasked with collecting payments from ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Any ships that pay the authority could also be “exposed to the risk of sanctions”, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
One-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil normally pass through the shipping channel, and its closure has impacted global fuel trade.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that Tehran was collecting fees for “navigational services” and it would continue to manage traffic through the waterway.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described it as the “Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade” and “proof” Iran is “desperate for cash”.
The IRGC also said on Tuesday that it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace, but did not specify when.
[BBC]
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for the sea areas extending from Kankasanthurai to Chilaw via Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota
West Indies to host Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2026 home season
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