Sri Lanka monsoon storms kill 14
- Some victims drowned, including three members of the same family, while others were buried alive in mudslides or killed by falling trees
- The authorities said 20 of the nation’s 25 districts were affected by heavy rain and issued warnings to people living on banks of main rivers to move to higher ground
Flash floods, mudslides and falling trees have killed at least 14 people in Sri Lanka as the island nation is battered by monsoon storms, the country’s disaster centre said on Sunday.
Some drowned, including three members of the same family swept away near the capital Colombo on Sunday.
Others were buried alive in mudslides, including an 11-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.
Nine other people were crushed and killed when trees fell on them in seven districts since the monsoon intensified on May 21, the DMC said.
While Sri Lanka depends on the seasonal monsoon rain for irrigation as well as hydroelectricity, experts have warned that it faces more frequent floods as the world heats due to climate change.
