Cyclone Ditwah: 3 Killed in India, Sri Lanka Death Toll Nears 200; Evacuations Underway

The cyclonic storm Ditwah, centered over the Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts, continues its trajectory, prompting extensive relief and preparedness operations by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local authorities. The cyclone has already caused heavy rainfall, flooding, and casualties in the region.

Casualties and Damage in Tamil Nadu

Three deaths have been confirmed in Tamil Nadu due to the impact of the cyclone:

-Palavesam (80), a farmer from Thoothukudi, died due to a wall collapse.

-M. Renuka (20) from Thanjavur died due to a wall collapse on Saturday.

-R. Prathap (19) from Sirkazhi Taluk in Mayiladuthurai died due to electrocution on Saturday night.

Heavy rainfall has also led to flooding in the Manangkondan River in Nagapattinam district, cutting off the road to Karuppapulam village and submerging over 100 acres of paddy fields, causing severe agricultural damage.

Death Toll in Sri Lanka

As of Sunday at noon, Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported that 193 people have been killed and 228 are missing since the extreme weather began on Thursday. The severe weather has impacted a large number of people, with 968,304 individuals across 266,114 families affected.

NDRF Deployment and Preparedness

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has launched an extensive preparedness drive.

The Indian Air Force airlifted NDRF teams and equipment from Pune and Vadodara to Chennai via a C-17 aircraft, enabling the rapid deployment of over 300 personnel and approximately 35 tonnes of essential gear.

Deputy Commandant of the 4th Battalion NDRF, K. Kapil, stated that teams are fully equipped for both floodwater rescue and collapsed structure search and rescue, noting that urban flooding is the primary issue in Chennai.

Five teams were airlifted from Vadodara to the Greater Chennai area and are on standby. Specially trained sniffer dogs have been deployed in Puducherry, Pudukkottai, Greater Chennai Corporation, and Villupuram to locate victims trapped under rubble.

An NDRF team, consisting of 30 rescuers from the 10th battalion, has been stationed in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, as a precautionary measure.

IAF Rescue and Relief Operations

The Indian Air Force is simultaneously engaged in domestic support operations and international rescue efforts in Sri Lanka, where the cyclone previously claimed 153 lives.

The IAF undertook a hybrid rescue mission using helicopters to extricate stranded passengers from a restricted zone near Kotmale. A Garud commando was winched down to guide a group of 24 passengers including Indian, foreign, and Sri Lankan nationals to a helipad for evacuation to Colombo.

In a parallel effort, three critical casualties were airlifted for immediate medical attention, and five teams (40 troops) of the Sri Lankan Army were airlifted to the landslide-affected Kotmale region.

The High Commission of India in Colombo is facilitating the swift return of Indian passengers stranded in Sri Lanka. Evacuation flights by the IAF and commercial airlines are being facilitated.

Latest IMD Forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports the cyclonic storm Ditwah continues its northward movement, parallel to the coast.

IMD says, "The Cyclonic Storm Ditwah over Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts moved nearly northwards with the speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 30th November 2025 over the same region, near latitude 11.4°N and longitude 80.6°E, about 100 km east-southeast of Cuddalore, 100 km east-northeast of Karaikal, 110 km southeast of Puducherry, 140 km northeast of Vedaranniyam and 180 km south-southeast of Chennai. The minimum distance of the centre of the cyclone from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts is about 70km. It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during next 24 hours. While moving northwards the cyclonic storm will be centered over Southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 60 km and 30 km from the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by afternoon and evening of today."

Alerts

Red Alert has been issued for Puducherry and Cuddalore. Orange Alert has been issued for Chennai and Ranipet, where the northern part of the state is expected to receive heavy rain.

Travel Impact

Almost 50 flights scheduled for Colombo and southern parts of Tamil Nadu (Thoothukudi, Trichy) have been cancelled in Chennai.

Multiple flights from Sri Lanka to India were cancelled due to the cyclone.