14 killed in Sri Lanka floods, landslides

Colombo: Heavy rains followed by landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka killed at least 14 people and has affected over 250,000 more in the past two days with warnings that adverse weather conditions will continue, officials said on Sunday.

South-west monsoon rains settling in the country's western, southern and central parts resulted in heavy showers and landslides in several areas, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) officials said.

A family of four was killed on Saturday when they were buried in a landslide in Aranayaka, some 90 kms east of Colombo, reports dpa news agency.

The other victims also died in landslides or were swept away by flooded rivers or streams, the DMC said.

The majority of the affected residents were able to remain in their homes while some 20,000 people were evacuated, the officials said.

Meanwhile water levels of two of the main rivers flowing through the Western Province, which includes the capital, continued to rise as rain kept falling on Sunday.

The adverse weather conditions were an additional burden on authorities already busy enforcing island-wide travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The South Asian country has reported an average of 40 Covid-19-related deaths and 3,000 positive cases per day over the past week.

Travel restrictions were originally due to be lifted on Monday, but have instead been extended by a week.