Sri Lanka landslide toll touches 92

Colombo : With the Sri Lanka Army recovering seven more bodies from the landslide site in Aranayake in Kegalle district, the death toll from the flash floods and landslides rose to 92

Military Spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said the Army rescue teams by Monday have managed to recover 24 bodies, including a child, six women and seventeen males, reports the Colombo Page.

With the floodwaters fast receding and displaced people returning to their dwellings, the Army Commander instructed all respective Commanding Officers to be alert to the post-disaster consequences.

Several medical teams have been set up by the army in Colombo region-based relief centers and elsewhere in Bulathkohupitiya and Aranayake areas.

According to the latest figures released by the Disaster Management Center (DMC), 107 people in the landslide-hit areas are still missing and most of the deaths, a total of 59, occurred in the Kegalle district when two landslides struck three villages in Aranayake and Bulathkohupitiya.

As of Monday, 126,666 people belonging to 26,536 families are still in shelters while 258,407 people from 63,377 families are affected by the adverse weather.

The Meteorology Department has said that south-west monsoon condition was gradually establishing over the country and more showers would occur at times in the Western, North-Western, Southern, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

The Department has cautioned strong windy conditions over the country and in the sea areas around the island.