Maldivian family in Nuwara Eliya confirmed safe

The Maldivian family that was reported unreachable after travelling to Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka, which is currently being battered by a cyclone that has resulted in 56 deaths, has been confirmed safe.

The Maldivian High Commission in Sri Lanka told Sun earlier that they received a report informing that a Maldivian family, which travelled to Nuwara Eliya for vacation, has been unreachable.

The three-member family comprises of a Maldivian man, a child and a Sri Lankan woman.

The High Commission received the report from Male’. According to the High Commission, it had also been unsuccessful in their efforts to reach the family.

However, Sun has learned that the family has gotten in contact and confirmed they are safe. The family is reportedly staying at a Sri Lankan’s residence and had been unreachable earlier due to a power outage in the area.

Sri Lanka began grappling with severe weather last week, and the conditions worsened on Thursday with heavy downpours that flooded homes, fields and roads, and triggered landslides as Cyclone Ditwah swept across the country. Most reservoirs and rivers have overflowed, blocking roads. Authorities stopped passenger trains and closed roads in many parts of the country after rocks, mud and trees fell on roads and railway tracks, which were also flooded in some areas. Flights bound for Sri Lanka have also been diverted to India.

The death toll from floods and landslides has risen to 69, and at least 34 people remain missing. As the weather conditions grew worse, the government announced the closing of all government offices and schools on Friday.

According to Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre, 20 out of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts are badly hit, with over 12,000 families and 43,000 people directly affected amid an island-wide “red alert” issued by authorities.

Reports indicated that the impact of the extreme weather conditions is especially severe along the east coast — in Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee — as well as in the Central Province, home to Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, both popular tourist destinations, and, Matale, and Uva Province’s Badulla district.

Capital Colombo in Western Province, where a large number of Maldivians reside, has also been impacted by the severe weather conditions.

Some 1,800 Maldivians presently reside in Male’. The High Commission confirms that no other reports have been received regarding a Maldivian impacted by the weather conditions apart from the aforesaid family.

Any Maldivian in Sri Lanka that requires assistance can contact Maldivian High Commission’s hotline number at 09476991666.

The High Commission has urged Maldivians to take shelter in safe areas amidst the severe weather conditions.