Our parents were submerged in water. We, too, have gone under water. Will our children also suffer the same fate?”

Nawaz Nashra recalls grabbing her three-year-old daughter, wrapping her in a bedsheet and running out of their home in central Sri Lanka as a landslide struck, triggered by a deadly cyclone that killed 410 people in the worst floods in a decade.

Cyclone Ditwah lashed the country last week, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 460 people, left hundreds missing and damaged some 30,000 homes. But the deluge has also inspired volunteerism among its people, as they face what their president has described as the "most challenging natural disaster" in its history.

The country’s president said the nationwide flooding after the storm hit last week was the most challenging natural disaster in the island nation’s history.

Sri Lankan authorities say the death toll from heavy floods and mudslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah has risen to 123 with 130 people still missing

Cyclone Ditwah tore through Sri Lanka this week, triggering severe flooding and mudslides, killing more than 132 people and nearly 200 others missing, according to local authorities.

The death toll of Sri Lanka's recent floods and landslides is set to rise as many areas remain unreachable due to continuous rain, collapsed roads and unstable terrain.

Explore Colombo, Sri Lanka's lively capital! Find serene parks, ocean views, and the best of the island's famous cuisine. See the full travel guide.

Cyclone Ditwah, originating near Sri Lanka, caused catastrophic flooding and landslides across the Indian Ocean basin. Sri Lanka suffered the most, with over 465 deaths and widespread destruction.