Heavy rains kill 6 in Sri Lanka, thousands affected

Heavy thunder showers lashing the country had killed 8 people in several areas and displaced thousands of others due to flash floods, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said Sunday. Several districts in the country have been affected by the incessant rain and Hambantota was the hardest hit with more than 300 families being affected.
According to the Deputy Media Director of the DMC Sarath Lal Kumara, 6 deaths have been reported and 1,164 persons belonging to 347 families were affected due to the adverse weather conditions since last Friday in Galle, Hambantota, Nuwara Eliya, Matara and Moneragala districts. Deaths have been reported from Ratnapura and Kamburupitiya areas and several roads in the Southern Province have become impassable due to the overflowing of Nilwala and Gin rivers. Three people have been washed away by flash floods in Neluwa of Galle district. Bodies of two people rowing a boat near a swollen stream in Neluwa have been found and a third person is still missing, Neluwa Police said. Sri Lanka Navy has provided boats and is assisting in the evacuation of affected persons. Some 14 homes have been completely destroyed, and 161 units have sustained partial damages. Rising water levels in several reservoirs in North Central and Uva provinces have forced the irrigation authorities to warn residents in low-lying areas to evacuate and open sluice gates. Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department has forecast more thundershowers over most parts of the island today.