3 killed, 64,000 hit in Lanka torrential rains

Colombo, December 23

Three people have died and over 64,000 affected in the latest spell of rain over the weekend in Sri Lanka, according to a media report.

The Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 17,766 people had been displaced in the rains and shifted to makeshift camps, the Colombo Gazette reported.

The Defence Ministry said the Navy, the Air Force and the Army have been deployed to rescue stranded people. Defence choppers have been pressed into service for the rescue operations, the daily reported.

The ministry said 26 people stranded in Batticaloa and 28 people stranded in Anuradhapura have been rescued.

Sri Lanka has been receiving torrential rains since the end of November with the situation being severe in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Nearly 1.5 lakh people have been affected by the floods.

The government has allocated Sri Lankan Rs 17 lakh for the provision of cooked meals to the displaced people at shelter camps and dry rations to the people temporarily staying with friends and relatives.

The northern province’s district secretariat has requested Sri Lankan Rs 1.66 crore from the DMC to provide relief to all those affected by the floods and inclement weather. — PTI