At least 31 people have died and 14 remain missing in Sri Lanka following several days of continuous rain that triggered significant floods and landslides across the island, officials reported on Thursday.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) indicated that the most severe impact was felt in the central tea-growing district of Badulla. There, entire mountainsides collapsed overnight, burying homes under mounds of earth and resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals as they slept.
In Nuwara Eliya, located nearby, another four fatalities were reported due to hillside collapses. Additional casualties were reported in various regions as torrential rainfall inundated roads, uprooted trees, and destabilized vulnerable terrain.
Houses built on hilly landscapes were particularly affected. Nearly 400 homes were damaged or destroyed by mudslides, displacing over 1,100 families who now seek refuge in emergency shelters.
The DMC cautioned that major rivers are rapidly swelling and advised residents in low-lying areas to evacuate to safer locations immediately.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its northeast monsoon, but meteorological officials noted that a depression forming east of the island has intensified rainfall levels significantly.
In light of the worsening conditions, the government suspended final-year school examinations across the nation for two days.
Forecasters predicted that much of the country would receive over 100 millimeters of rainfall on Thursday alone, with isolated areas in the northeast potentially receiving as much as 250 millimeters, heightening concerns about additional flooding.
This week’s death toll marks the highest number of fatalities from weather-related incidents since last June, when 26 people lost their lives under similar conditions. Another 17 fatalities due to floods and landslides were recorded in December.
While Sri Lanka relies heavily on seasonal monsoons for irrigation and hydropower, climate scientists have warned that the frequency of extreme rainfall events is increasing, rendering communities more susceptible to sudden and deadly landslides and flash floods.
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