Sri Lanka floods, landslides kill at least 31

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

COLOMBO: Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 31 people across Sri Lanka this week, with 14 others missing, authorities said on Thursday (Nov 27).

Most of the deaths occurred in the central tea-growing district of Badulla, where 16 people were buried alive when mountain slopes crashed onto their homes overnight, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in a statement.

Another four were killed in a similar manner in the adjoining Nuwara Eliya district. The remaining fatalities were reported elsewhere.

Nearly 400 homes were damaged in mudslides, with over 1,100 families moved to temporary shelters.

Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.


This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.
Loading

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 100mm of rainfall was expected across Sri Lanka, with some areas in the northeast forecast to be deluged with 250mm 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.
 

Newsletter

Morning Brief

Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief

An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here