Sri Lankan authorities have declared a state of emergency after widespread flooding and mudslides that have killed more than 330 people, the BBC reports, News.bg reports.
More than 200 people are still missing and more than 20,000 homes have been completely destroyed. Nearly a third of the population has been left without electricity and water supply.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake described what happened as the worst natural disaster in the country's history. He said the damage was so severe that preliminary estimates of the recovery were shocking.
Emergency evacuation orders have been issued in several areas due to the rapidly rising waters of the Kelaniya River. The government has issued an official appeal for international aid, appealing to Sri Lankans abroad to financially support the affected areas.
Cyclone Ditthwa hit the island's east coast in late November. The country's worst flooding this century so far was in June 2003, when 254 people died and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes.
The current disaster coincides with severe flooding in other parts of Southeast Asia. Millions of people have been affected in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, which are also experiencing some of their worst flooding in years.