Particle.news
Download on the App Store

British Tourists Rescued in Sri Lanka After Cyclone Ditwah Landslides

Sri Lankan tourist police reached the London women cut off in Pussellawa, with nationwide relief operations continuing after at least 465 deaths.

Overview

  • Melanie Watters, 54, and Janine Reid, 55, were saved and are in Colombo preparing to fly home, their family said.
  • The pair had sheltered at a tea plantation after their car was trapped and supplies dwindled when roads became impassable.
  • Their daughter said repeated calls to the UK Foreign Office brought no evacuation plan and drew a response that it was not the department's responsibility.
  • Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after flooding and landslides linked to Cyclone Ditwah left at least 465 dead, with more than 1.5 million affected and about 200,000 in shelters.
  • Indian forces evacuated more than 330 nationals and deployed helicopters from INS Vikrant and the air force to assist search and rescue in cut-off areas.