Sri Lanka monsoon floods kill 22 (UPDATE)

rfi.fr
Sun, 02 Jun 2024 13:09 UTC

Flash floods, mudslides and falling trees have killed at least 14 people in Sri Lanka as the island nation is battered by monsoon storms, the country's disaster centre said Sunday.

Some drowned, including three members of the same family swept away near the capital Colombo on Sunday.

Others were buried alive in mudslides, including an 11-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.

Nine other people were crushed and killed when trees fell on them in seven districts since the monsoon intensified on May 21, the DMC said.

AFP

Comment: Update June 5

PTI reports:

At least 30 people have died due to extreme rains and floods that have devastated Sri Lanka since May 15, State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon told Parliament on Wednesday.

Heavy monsoonal showers have destroyed 71 houses while another 9,300 suffered partial damage. Some 825 small and medium-scale industries have suffered damages alongside 63 infrastructure system setups, Tannakoon said.

The deaths have been reported from 10 districts, including the capital Colombo, where torrential rains exceeding 300 mm caused flash floods, fallen trees, high winds, lightning, and earth slips.

The Disaster Management Centre has issued flood warnings for the basins of several rivers from different districts as more rains and high winds are expected.

Earth slip red notices have been issued in respect of four districts by the National Building Research Centre.

Earlier on Monday, Sri Lanka closed schools as heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides in many parts of the island nation.

By Monday, over 5,000 people were moved to evacuation centres.

Navy and army troops have been deployed for rescue work and also to provide food and other essential items to the affected areas.

More than 19,000 persons from over 5,000 families were marooned over the weekend as severe monsoonal downpours inflicted widespread devastation in 20 of the 25 administrative districts that have been severely affected, authorities said on Sunday.