Sri Lanka: Over 750 religious places damaged due to Cyclone Ditwah; inter-religious prayers to take place for victims

Colombo [Sri Lanka], December 9 (ANI): The trail of destruction in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah has damaged around 764 religious places- Buddhist temples, churches and mosques, Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday.
Citing the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Sunil Senevi, Daily Mirror said that he told a news conference that 379 Buddhist temples, 165 Hindu Kovils, 63 Catholic Churches and 157 Mosques have been damaged.
The Minister mentioned that 18 cultural centres have also been damaged in several districts due to the disaster situation.
He added that the government would take up the responsibility to restore and reconstruct all the religious places and added that it will be done in several stages and provide the Rs. 25,000 initial grant for cleaning and other initial work to start religious practices.
Senevi added that a series of inter-religious programs will be held across Sri Lanka from today to seek blessings for those affected by Cyclone Ditwah and the floods, and to offer prayers for those who lost their lives. Religious services will also be conducted at several other places of worship, including Bambalapitiya Kadiresan Kovil for Hindu devotees, Grandpass St. Joseph's Church for Catholic devotees, St. Paul's Church, Colombo 08 for Christians at 7 pm and Wellawatte Jumma Mosque for Muslims at 3.45 pm, as reported by Daily Mirror.
Citing the Department of Meteorology, Daily Mirror added that a storm that developed in the Bay of Bengal area is expected to hit Sri Lanka, bringing rainfall of 75 mm, particularly to the northern, eastern and north-central provinces.
The death toll has soared to 627, with several hundred people still missing, the Daily Mirror reported on Sunday, citing the country's Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Cyclone Ditwah has resulted in relentless rain, flash floods and landslides across the island, causing river levels to rise to historic highs, submerging entire towns and causing loss in critical infrastructure.
According to Daily Mirror, 190 individuals remain missing as rescue and search efforts continue. Furthermore, the adversarial weather has affected all 25 districts, impacting 2,179,138 people from 611,530 families. (ANI)