Heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides across Sri Lanka’s central hills, killing seven people and forcing evacuations. The disaster has shut some schools and deepened strain on recovery from Cyclone Ditwa.
Heavy rains have triggered floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka, killing at least seven people in the country’s tea-growing mountainous regions and forcing some schools to shut, officials said on Tuesday.
The downpour over the last two days has flooded homes, fields and roads in many parts of the country, with the central mountainous region the worst affected, according to the government’s Disaster Management Centre.
Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili said at least five people died after mudslides buried two houses in the central region, while two others died in floods. Three people were injured. He said 291 houses were damaged and nearly 3,500 people were evacuated.
Navy and army personnel have been deployed to rescue people trapped by the floods. Local television channel Hiru TV showed troops and civilians rescuing people stranded in their homes or at risk of being buried by mudflows. Local channels also showed huge rocks, mudslides and fallen electric posts blocking several roads in the central region.
The disaster has come as Sri Lanka is still trying to recover from the devastation caused in November by Cyclone Ditwa, which killed nearly 640 people, affected two million people, or 20 lakh, and caused an estimated USD 4.1 billion in damage. The central province was the worst hit by Ditwa, and the government is still struggling to rebuild roads, railways and houses.
Mudslides and floods are among Sri Lanka’s most destructive natural disasters and cause major damage to life and property every year. Heavy monsoon rains regularly trigger mudslides in the central hill region and flooding in low-lying areas, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. The latest spell of rain has again hit the central region the hardest, killing seven people, damaging homes and leading to evacuations and rescue operations.
With PTI Inputs
