Sri Lanka floods, landslides leave at least 31 dead
Heavy rains in Sri Lanka have caused floods and landslides that killed at least 31 people this week, with 14 others reported missing, authorities said on Thursday.
The majority of deaths occurred in the central tea-growing district of Badulla, where 16 people were buried when mountain slopes collapsed onto their homes overnight, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Four more fatalities were recorded in nearby Nuwara Eliya, with the rest occurring elsewhere.
Nearly 400 homes were damaged in the mudslides, and over 1,100 families were relocated to temporary shelters.
The DMC said river levels were rising across Sri Lanka and warned residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the northeast monsoon season, but rains have intensified due to a depression east of the island, it added.
The government suspended final year school examinations nationwide for two days because of the weather.
More than 100 millimetres of rainfall was expected across Sri Lanka, with some areas in the northeast forecast to be deluged with 250 millimetres of rain on Thursday.
This week’s weather-related toll is the highest since June last year, when 26 people were killed following heavy rains. In December, 17 people were killed by flooding and landslides.
Sri Lanka depends on seasonal monsoon rain for irrigation and hydroelectricity, but experts have warned that the country faces more frequent floods due to climate change.
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