Sri Lanka Floods: Landslides Triggered by Huge Storm Leaves Villages Buried

The floodwaters and landslides reported after a major storm hammered Sri Lanka is said to have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The report reveals that at least 37 people have died and 21 are said to be missing after three days of ceaseless rains that came just a couple weeks before the monsoon season.Emergency workers have had their hands full as they’ve had to be engaged in rescuing people trapped in their homes by rising waters. Fields and streets in Sri Lanka are submerged throughout the country. The Disaster Management Center based in Colombo has revealed that the floods and landslide have affected 223,687.The facility provided to serve as a welfare centre is currently housing 200,000 people across the country. Kilinochchi town in the North was struck by 372 millimeters (nearly 15 inches) of rain in just 24 hours ”“ which is usually a quarter of the area’s typical annual rainfall. There were flash flooding and destructive landslides across the country, which was caused by the downpour. The rescue teams in Aranayake, Kegalle District, have so far recovered thirteen bodies after a massive landslide hit a number of villages in the area. Meanwhile, Red Cross has revealed that about 200 families were initially buried by the debris but rescue teams had managed to reach over 180 people. A military spokesperson also stated that a second landslide in Bulathkohupitiya killed three, but he maintains that local villagers said up to 100 people could still be caught in the mud. Weather forecasters’ reveals the rains came earlier than the regular monsoonal downpour which was expected later next month.