A major storm has hammered Sri Lanka, leaving dozens feared dead in landslides and forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Nineteen people have died so far, according to The Disaster Management Centre in Colombo. It estimates 346,000 people in total have been affected by the floods.
Around 200,000 people are currently being housed in hundreds of welfare centers across the country.
The northern town of Kilinochchi was struck by 372 millimeters of rain in just 24 hours — a quarter of the area’s typical annual rainfall.
The downpour caused flash flooding and destructive landslides across the country. Thirteen bodies were recovered by rescue teams in Aranayake, Kegalle District, after a massive landslide hit a number of villages in the area.
According to the Red Cross, 200 families were initially buried by the debris but rescue teams had managed to reach over 180 people.
A second landslide in Bulathkohupitiya killed three, a military spokesperson said, but he added that local villagers said up to 100 people could still be caught in the mud.
Workers in areas prone to landslides in the tea producing district of Nuwara Eliya were evacuated to safe zones.
The rains have come ahead of the regular monsoonal downpour expected later next month and are the result of a depression in the Bay of Bengal, according to the Meteorological Department.
The downpour is now expected to move towards Tamil Nadu in India’s south.
