Nearly 3,00,000 children feared affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka

Nearly 300,000 children are among the 1.4 million affected by Cyclone Ditwah, UNICEF here said today.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and infrastructure collapse triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.

As of Monday, 390 people have been killed, with 352 missing, in catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.

“Cyclone Ditwah has left children across Sri Lanka facing an escalating humanitarian crisis. After making landfall on the East Coast early on November 28, the storm caused widespread floods and devastating landslides," a release from UNICEF said.

"Initial estimates suggest that over 275,000 children are among the 1.4 million people affected, although disrupted communications and blocked access routes imply the actual number may be even higher," the release said.

UNICEF added that the cyclone will only deepen the struggles of Sri Lanka's most vulnerable communities, who are still reeling from successive shocks, including the 2022 economic crisis.

According to a World Bank 2025 report, poverty has more than doubled since 2019, rising from 11.3 per cent to 24.5 per cent. For millions of families, life remains unaffordable, with basic needs increasingly out of reach, UNICEF said.