The death toll from Cyclone Nivar's devastating impact on Sri Lanka has climbed to 410, with 336 people still unaccounted for, according to the island nation's Disaster Management Center. The catastrophic weather event, which struck earlier this week, has displaced over 50,000 residents and caused widespread infrastructure damage across coastal regions.
Emergency response teams from India and China have joined local authorities in search-and-rescue operations, while the United Nations has pledged $2 million in immediate humanitarian aid. The storm's aftermath has particularly affected fishing communities and tourism infrastructure, raising concerns about economic recovery in a nation still rebuilding from its 2022 debt crisis.
Meteorologists attribute the cyclone's unprecedented intensity to warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal. This disaster comes as Southeast Asian nations prepare for December's ASEAN Climate Resilience Summit, where regional disaster response coordination will be a key agenda item.
