Massive floods trigger landslides, bury villages in Sri Lanka
19 May 2016 10:46 AM IST19 May 2016 10:46 AM IST
Heavy rains have lashed across the island nation for several days and officials said the extent of the tragedy was still unclear.
Heavy rains pounded the central Sri Lankan region where at least three villages have already been swallowed by mountains of mud, forcing soldiers and police to suspend rescue work.- Nearly 135,000 people have been displaced and are being housed in temporary shelters.
- Mudslides are common during the monsoon season. Much of Sri Lanka has been with heavy deforested to clear land for agriculture, leaving the countryside exposed.
- At the Viyaneliya Temple, about 300 villagers shared a meal of brown bread and curried lentils.
- Sri Lankan landslide survivors wait for their dinner as they take shelter in a Buddhist temple in Viyaneliya village in Aranayaka. (Photo: AP)
- Villagers said torrents of muddy water, tree branches and debris came crashing down around their homes Tuesday in the three villages, located at different heights on the same hill in Kegalle district, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) north of Colombo.
- Officials have also warned that, with rain still falling, more landslides could occur in the area.
- Heavy fog, rain, electrical outages and the loose ground have made it difficult to search for survivors.
- The Sri Lankan Red Cross said at least 220 families were unaccounted for.
- Heavy rains have lashed across the island nation for several days and officials said the extent of the tragedy was still unclear.
- Military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera told reporters in the capital, Colombo, that the army was assessing the situation and would deploy more troops in the worst-hit Kegalle district if needed.
- Rescue work had resumed early in morning before fresh rains began in the area.
- At least 18 people are known to have been killed and hundreds are reported missing in the landslides so far.
Heavy rains pounded the central Sri Lankan region where at least three villages have already been swallowed by mountains of mud, forcing soldiers and police to suspend rescue work.
Heavy rains have lashed across the island nation for several days and officials said the extent of the tragedy was still unclear.
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