Cyclone Ditwah weakens near coast, landfall now unlikely

Cyclone Ditwah has weakened as it neared the coastline, making a landfall increasingly unlikely, according to weather officials. The system, which had triggered a red alert for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh, continued to move north-northwest over the southwest Bay of Bengal on Saturday. It was expected to hover close to the north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early Sunday.

Despite the weakening trend, the cyclone has already brought torrential rain, disrupting normal life in several districts. Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam reported some of the heaviest downpours, while disaster response teams from the SDRF and NDRF remain on standby. Multiple areas continue to remain under red alert for very heavy rainfall as authorities monitor the system’s movement.

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Five teams of six BN NDRF, equipped with FWR and CSSR assets, have been airlifted from Vadodara, Gujarat, to Chennai for deployment in Tamil Nadu in view of the prevailing situation.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone passed close to the coastline, coming within 60 km by midnight, 50 km by early Sunday morning, and tightening to around 25 km by Sunday evening. Over the next 24 hours, it is expected to move almost parallel to the North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coastline.

Sri Lanka counts human toll as flooding devastates regions

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose. Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre reported 153 deaths after a week of torrential rain and the cyclone’s landfall triggered severe flooding and landslides. More than 43,900 people have been moved to government shelters. The Kelani River near Colombo burst its banks on Friday evening, prompting fresh evacuation orders.

Cyclone Ditwah has left thousands displaced, caused widespread landslides and destroyed entire regions, with rescue teams racing against time and weather to pull survivors from rooftops, trees and submerged structures. In India, heavy rainfall is forecast for southern and delta districts of Tamil Nadu, leading state authorities to move into high alert, deploy disaster response teams, prepare shelters, and review emergency measures as the region faces the second major weather system this month.