A powerful cyclone struck Sri Lanka on Friday (Nov 28), killing 46 people and leaving 23 missing, officials said. The weather department warned that the storm could strengthen as it continues to move across the island over the next 12 hours. Most of the deaths were caused by landslides after more than 300mm of rain fell in 24 hours as Cyclone Ditwah battered the country, with the eastern and central regions suffering the worst damage.

According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 43,991 people were evacuated to schools and public shelters, including families rescued from rooftops. Schools remained closed, train services were halted, and the Colombo Stock Exchange ended trading early due to ongoing heavy rain. Rescue work is still underway in the hardest-hit areas, though blocked roads from landslides are making access difficult, Brigadier S. Dharmawickrema, the DMC’s Emergency Operations Director, told Reuters.

Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Anura Karunathilake said Sri Lanka may divert flights from its main airport to Trivandrum or Cochin in southern India if conditions worsen. Local media reported that six flights—arriving from Muscat, Dubai, New Delhi, and Bangkok—had already been diverted from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).