At least seven people have died and thousands have been displaced after heavy rains triggered floods and mudslides across Sri Lanka, prompting authorities to close schools in several affected areas.
According to the government’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), the country’s central tea-growing hill region has been the worst affected by two days of intense rainfall, with widespread flooding damaging homes, roads and agricultural land.
The adverse weather has disrupted daily life in several districts, with emergency teams carrying out rescue operations as floodwaters continue to inundate low-lying areas.
Mudslides claim five lives in central Sri Lanka
Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili said five people were killed after mudslides buried two houses in the central region, while two others lost their lives in separate flood-related incidents.
He said three people sustained injuries during the disaster.
Authorities reported that at least 291 houses have been damaged, while nearly 3,500 residents have been evacuated from vulnerable areas and shifted to safer locations.
Officials continue to monitor the weather situation as further rainfall has been forecast for several parts of the country.
Rescue teams deployed to affected districts
The Sri Lankan Navy and Army have been deployed to assist with rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit regions.
Television footage broadcast by local media showed security personnel and residents rescuing people stranded inside flooded homes and assisting families threatened by advancing mudslides.
Images aired by local news channels also showed large boulders, landslides, uprooted electricity poles and debris blocking roads across the central province, affecting transport and delaying emergency response efforts.
Authorities have urged residents living in landslide-prone and low-lying areas to remain alert and follow evacuation instructions issued by local officials.
Recovery efforts continue after Cyclone Ditwah devastation
The latest disaster comes as Sri Lanka continues to recover from the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the country in November last year.
The cyclone claimed nearly 640 lives, affected around two million people and caused an estimated USD 4.1 billion in economic losses.
The central province, which has again borne the brunt of the latest heavy rains, was among the worst-affected regions during the cyclone. Reconstruction of roads, railway infrastructure and residential buildings damaged by the earlier disaster is still underway.
The fresh flooding and mudslides are expected to further complicate ongoing recovery efforts in the region.
Seasonal rains frequently trigger natural disasters
Sri Lanka experiences frequent floods and landslides during the monsoon season, particularly in the central hill districts, where steep terrain makes communities vulnerable to slope failures.
Heavy rainfall often causes rivers to overflow, inundating low-lying settlements and forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
Sri Lanka floods and mudslides kill 7, schools shut in affected areas
