At least 44 people have died and 10 others injured in floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Sri Lanka this week, with 21 others missing, AFP reported on Thursday, citing the country’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Most of the dead were from the central tea-growing Badulla area, where at least 21 people were killed when a mountain slope collapsed on their homes overnight. Four more people were killed in a landslide in Nuwara Eliya district; the rest of the casualties were in other areas.
The DMC said at least 425 houses were damaged by the mudslide, and about 1,800 families were evacuated to temporary shelters. Residents in low-lying areas have been warned to move to higher ground as the river water rises rapidly.
Authorities said that although the northeast monsoon is prevailing in the country, a low pressure area located to the east has intensified the rainfall.