Sri Lankan troops were racing to rescue hundreds of people marooned by rising floodwaters on Friday as weather-related deaths rose to 69, with another 34 people declared missing.

It said the toll had climbed with the recovery of more bodies in the worst-affected central region, where most victims had been buried alive as mudslides hit this week.

Disaster Management Centre (DMC) officials said that 69 disaster deaths have been reported due to the adverse weather conditions that have affected all 25 districts of the island over the past couple of days.

The DMC also states that 34 people are reported missing, and a total of 219,282 people belonging to 61,175 families have been affected by the adverse weather.

It said that 18,443 people belonging to 5,890 affected families have been placed in 266 temporary shelters, and the search for the victims is currently being carried out by the Disaster Management Centre led by the tri-forces.

Flood warnings have been issued for the low-lying areas of the Kelani River, Kalu Ganga, Yan Oya, Mahaweli Ganga, Deduru Oya, Maha Oya, Kala Oya, Attanugalu Oya and Menik Ganga, Malwathu Oya, and people living in those low-lying areas have been advised to evacuate due to rising water levels, the DMC said.

The Disaster Management Centre also advises people to move to safer or more secure areas and to avoid travelling at night and visiting floodplains, as water levels may surge at night. 

The DMC said more rain was forecast, with Cyclone Ditwah likely to move away from the north towards the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu by Sunday.