Rescue workers recovered 19 bodies after the landslides caused by days of heavy rains, government officials said. About 350 people were plucked to safety during rescue operations in landslide-affected areas.
A Sri Lankan Red Cross official who attended a disaster meeting at the Aranayaka landslide site early on Wednesday said it was feared the death toll was much higher than the official figures listed so far.
"At that meeting, it was revealed that around 300-400 people are feared to have died in the Aranayaka landslide," Neville Nanayakkara, director general of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, told Reuters news agency.
Nanayakkara was speaking before other officials said about 150 people had been rescued from the Aranayaka area, leaving fears for the safety of at least another 150 people.
More than 300 soldiers were deployed for the rescue mission.
About 350,000 people have been forced from their homes by the flooding.
Source: Agencies, aljazeera.com
18/5/16
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The death toll from Sri Lanka's flash floods and landslides rose to 63 on Friday as water levels in many districts continued to rise owing to heavy rains, the Disaster Management Center said....
ReplyDeleteSri Lanka's central Kegalle District has so far reported the highest number of deaths with 34 people killed after two massive landslides hit the district on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rescue teams are continuing with their efforts to search for those missing under the mud and rock and have so far recovered 16 bodies in Aranayake while 144 are still buried under the debris. The landslide which struck on Tuesday evening, buried three villages and has been recorded as the worst in Sri Lanka's history.
Teams have also recovered 14 bodies from Bulathkohupitiya and are searching for a further 15 people trapped under the debris when a landslide struck on Wednesday morning destroying 6 rows of houses.
The army said that additional troops had been deployed in Aranayake and Bulathkohupitiya to continue their search operations but efforts were being hampered due to heavy rains.....http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-05/20/content_38497774.htm
20/5/16