Death toll crosses 450 mark in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
Colombo (PTI): The death toll in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka rose to 465 on Tuesday, with the island nation bracing for worsening conditions as increased rainfall is forecast in several regions in the coming days.
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.
A report by the Disaster Management Centre on Tuesday at 6 pm showed that 465 people have been killed, with 366 missing, in catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Meanwhile, a special weather bulletin issued by the Department of Meteorology predicted "enhanced" rainy conditions in certain parts of the nation from Thursday.
"The Northeast monsoon condition is expected to gradually establish over the island during the next few days. Due to this, rainy condition over the island, particularly in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces is expected to be enhanced from 04th of December," it said.
The department requested the general public's attention to future forecasts and bulletins.
Relief and recovery operations are ongoing in Sri Lanka, with several countries sending humanitarian aid and relief material.
India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 to help Sri Lanka recover from the devastation caused by the cyclone.
The operation was launched to provide urgent search, rescue and HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) support to “our closest maritime neighbour”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.
India has delivered 53 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka via air and sea since November 28, the MEA had said.
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Man sets fire to gas cylinder on truck in Kerala's Kottayam, held
Kottayam(Kerala) (PTI): A 33-year-old man climbed onto a parked truck carrying cooking gas cylinders and set fire to one of them near Thalayolaparambu in the small hours of Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred around 12.30 am, they said.
The fire and rescue personnel soon arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, averting a major disaster.
According to police, the man is suspected to be under mental distress as he claimed that he was walking from Ernakulam to his home in Marangattupilly here when he saw the truck on the roadside.
An FIR under sections 329(3)(criminal trespass),324(2)(mischief),326(f)(mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged against him.
Police said that the man was formally arrested, but will be released on station bail as the offences he is accused of are bailable.
"His family is here at the station and he will be released to them," the officer said.
In the FIR, police have said that the man opened the seal of one of the gas cylinders and set fire to it with the knowledge that his act was dangerous to those living in the area.
According to the company transporting the cooking gas cylinders, it suffered a loss of Rs 2,300 in the incident.
