Sri Lanka has asked Russia for help in recovering from Cyclone Ditva

Sri Lanka has asked Russia for additional assistance to recover from Cyclone Ditva. This was announced on December 15 by the republic's Ambassador to Moscow, Shobini Gunasekera.

"We have received 35 tons of humanitarian aid from the Russian government and are very grateful for it. But we need further support during the recovery phase, and we hope for Russia's help in the spirit of our friendship and mutual understanding," TASS quoted the ambassador as saying.

Gunasekera said that the effects of the cyclone are unprecedented: more than 1.8 million people were forced to leave their homes, roads, railways and transport infrastructure were destroyed.

"After the humanitarian aid is provided, people will have to be resettled and the country will be rebuilt, international support is needed for this, and Russia's assistance is extremely important," the diplomat noted.

She also said that Sri Lanka has created a recovery fund to which Russians can send funds through the Embassy of the republic, and the government is working with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on additional assistance opportunities.

Bali flood: disaster claimed the lives of at least nine people

Tourists and locals are among the dead in Indonesia.

On December 1, 355 people were reported dead as a result of the tropical storm in Sri Lanka, 366 people were missing. It was noted that cyclone "Ditva" brought with it strong winds and heavy rains. It caused the worst floods in Sri Lanka in the last decade. Earlier, the country's president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said that this was the first time that "the whole country had suffered from such a natural disaster," calling it the "largest and most difficult" in Sri Lanka's history.

Later, on December 14, it was reported that the death toll in Sri Lanka as a result of tropical cyclone Ditva reached 643 people, with another 184 missing.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.