Colombo: Heavy rains followed by floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have left at least eight persons dead, destroyed buildings and forced thousands to take temporary shelter, officials said on Monday.
The central and western regions, including the capital Colombo, were among the worst affected in two days of heavy rains across the country, with warnings being issue that the flood situation would worsen.
Defence Secretary said that armed forces were assisting police in rescue and clearing operations.
Troops were also called in to stack sandbags to prevent flood damage to the parliament complex in Kotte, 12 kilometres south of the capital.
Searches were under way for several persons missing after landslides, in addition to eight deaths in floods and landslides, mostly in the central part of the country, disaster management and government officials said.
More than 20,000 persons have fled their homes, with many seeking refuge in government-run relief centres, amid warnings that water levels may rise in the main rivers that runs through the capital.
The disaster management centre has warned of possible landslides in nine of the country's 25 districts.
The meteorological department said the heavy rains, which were accompanied by strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, were due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal.
QNA
