British women stranded by landslides in Sri Lanka are facing a shortage of food

The daughter of a British woman trapped in the mountainous regions of Sri Lanka has expressed urgent concern as her mother and a companion run low on essential supplies. Melanie Watters, 54, and Janine Reid, 55, became stranded on Thursday when flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah submerged the road they were traveling on, making it impassable.

The cyclone, the deadliest Sri Lanka has faced since 2017, has triggered severe flooding that has claimed over 400 lives and affected nearly one million residents. Torrential rains caused the Kelani River to overflow, leading to mudslides in the central highlands.

Katie Beeching, Ms. Watters daughter, explained that the car became stuck in a ditch within the tea plantation-covered highlands, a region with plantations dating back to British colonial times. The women and their driver spent the night in the vehicle as floodwaters threatened to sweep them away, eventually finding temporary refuge at a nearby plantation.

After nearly a week trapped due to blocked roads, Ms. Beeching reported that the women were now critically low on food, water, and fuel, with no confirmed rescue plan. Nine months pregnant, she stated she repeatedly contacted the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) but was told that evacuating the stranded citizens was not their responsibility.

There are literally two British nationals on their own, no food, water, fuel, no way in or out. This is getting worse, Ms. Beeching said. She warned that without immediate action, lives could be at risk as the weather conditions are expected to change again soon.

Rescue operations have been hampered by difficult terrain, with helicopters deployed to search the affected areas. Indias air force has evacuated 330 nationals from Sri Lanka and has offered aerial support, though the stranded Britons reported that current efforts seem focused on recovering bodies rather than rescuing survivors.

Ms. Watters and Ms. Reid, both from London, had begun a two-week vacation in Sri Lanka on November 21, planning to return to the UK the following Wednesday. Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on November 28, submerging large sections of Colombo and rendering hundreds of roads unusable.

The storm has devastated parts of Southeast Asia, resulting in over 1,000 fatalities across Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with numbers expected to rise. Sri Lankas president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, declared a state of emergency, describing the flooding as the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history.

The women had been traveling from Kandy, one of the districts hardest hit by landslides, and had been advised to drive to the highlands rather than use trains. As the cyclone approached, they sent messages describing their peril, including witnessing a bus being swept off a cliff.

The UK FCDO has not provided a public response regarding the situation of the stranded nationals.

Author: Sophia Brooks