Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday as rains continued to lash areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, with the death toll rising to 618.
More than two million people—nearly 10 percent of the population—have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported that monsoon storms were adding more rain and causing hillsides to become unstable, including in the central mountainous region and the north-western midlands.
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Helicopters and planes were deployed on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the center of the country.
The Sri Lanka Air Force stated that it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, marking the latest batch of foreign aid.
The government has confirmed 618 dead—464 from the lush tea-growing central region—while 209 people remain unaccounted for.
The number of people in state-run refugee camps dropped to 100,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, according to the DMC.
More than 75,000 homes were damaged, with nearly 5,000 completely destroyed, it added.
On Friday, the government unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes and revive businesses destroyed by the natural disaster, which struck the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.
A senior official previously mentioned that recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated on Friday that it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional $200 million to aid rebuilding efforts.
This funding is in addition to the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed upon in 2023.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake informed parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had significantly recovered, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock on its own.
Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees ($33,000) to purchase land in a safer location and build a new house, according to a finance ministry statement late on Friday.
One million rupees is being offered in compensation for each person killed or left permanently disabled.
The government did not specify the cost of the package, raising concerns given the country’s recent economic instability.
The central bank has ordered commercial lenders, both state-owned and private, to reschedule loans.
