Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Sri Lanka have killed at least 17 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. After days of heavy rain, rivers in the southern and western plains of the island nation burst their banks on Sunday, flooding low-lying areas, forcing thousands of people to seek refuge in relief camps, officials said on Monday (June 7). Reuters reports.
In a statement, Pradeep Kodippili, assistant director of the country's National Disaster Management Center, said that although flood waters were receding, landslide warnings issued in 10 districts were still in effect. More than 270,000 people have been affected by the rain, floods and landslides, and about 100,000 homes are without power, he said. "We expect the rainfall to decrease from now on, but there may be occasional rain in some areas," said Athulla Karunanayake, director general of the country's meteorological department.
