Sri Lanka asks for help after landslides, floods kill over 100
May 27, 2017 02:20 pm
Sri Lanka has appealed for outside help as the death toll from floods and mudslides on Saturday rose to 100 with 99 others missing.
The Disaster Management Center said more than 2,900 people have been displaced.
The military used large armored vehicles and boats to transport people to safety. But some remained trapped in interior villages that boats have been unable to reach.
At an intersection close to Agalawatte, 60 miles south of the capital Colombo, four bodies in coffins were kept in a house, awaiting boats to be taken to a temple where displaced people have taken refuge.
Residents of Wehangalla village near Agalawatte were marooned as floodwaters swamped most of the buildings up to the roof. They had fled to higher terrain, but four people among them died in a mudslide and three others are missing. They complained that government aid still had not reached the area and they were surviving on food provided by nearby villagers.
The Sri Lankan government appealed to the U.N and other countries for help with rescue and relief measures.
The Indian Navy too has been pressed into action to help the island nation with INS Kirch operating in Bay of Bengal being diverted to Colombo to render immediate assistance in flood relief operations.
INS Shardul with medical relief kits and diving teams left from Kerala’s Kochi port at 7am and is likely to reach Colombo by tonight.
Source: AP/IndiaToday
-Agencies
