Landslides, rains batter Sri Lanka; 37 killed

COLOMBO: about 37 individuals were killed and 223,687 rendered homeless by hefty rains and landslides in the main parts of Sri Lanka as countless military men joined up with federal government officials, police employees and volunteers in attempts to rescue those struck by the disaster, the Disaster control Centre (DMC) said right here on Wednesday.

Reports early in the day had said that 200 to 400 men and women could have died and therefore some 200 people were missing.

Aranayake in Kegalle area, about 70km north of Colombo, ended up being struck especially badly by landslides that ravaged at the least three villages.

Relief work was being hampered by swelled up streams, torrential rains and insufficient electricity, official said.

Over 220,000 rendered homeless

Rescue employees had thus far recovered 16 bodies at Aranayake and Bulathkoh­upitiya and taken 350 people to safety, DMC officials stated.

It had been in Aranayake that 200 households were reported having gone missing. Of those, 180 individuals were rescued, a report stated.

Army spokesman Brig Jayanath Jayaweera said 15 officials and 266 various other workers had attached rescue missions at Aranayake. The guys are drawn through the commando, manufacturing and medical units associated with the army.

Companies add: “As of 1800 hours, 134 continue to be lacking…,” major-general Sudantha Ranasinghe, officer responsible for the rescue procedure, stated.

“We have ended the businesses for the day because it’s dark plus the procedure continued for over 20 hours. We Are Going To begin once again the next day morning.”

A Red Cross authoritative which went to a tragedy conference at Aranayake landslide web site said earlier it had been feared the demise cost will be “around 300-400”.

Flooding and drought are cyclical in Sri Lanka, that will be battered by a south monsoon between might and September, while a north-eastern monsoon works from December to February.