Sri Lanka mudslide death toll rises to 100; 99 missing

Agalawatte (Sri Lanka): Sri Lanka has appealed for outside help as the death toll from floods and mudslides on Saturday rose to 100 with 99 others missing.

The Disaster Management Centre said more than 2,900 people have been displaced.

The military used large armoured vehicles and boats to transport people to safety. But some remained trapped in interior villages where boats have been unable to reach.

At an intersection close to Agalawatte, 98 km (60 m) south of Colombo, the capital, four bodies in coffins were kept in a house, awaiting boats to be taken to a temple where displaced people have taken refuge.

Residents of Wehangalla village near Agalawatte were marooned as floodwaters swamped most of the buildings up to the roof. They had fled to higher terrain but four people among them died in a mudslide and three others went missing. They complained that government aid still had not reached the area and they were surviving on food provided by those in nearby villages.

The Sri Lankan government appealed to the United Nations as well as other countries for help with rescue and relief measures.

India has sent navy ships with rescue and relief material to Sri Lanka, where torrential rains and landslides have resulted in several deaths and massive devastation over the last two days.

INS Kirch operating in South Bay of Bengal, has been diverted to Colombo in Sri Lanka to render immediate assistance in flood relief operations.

According to reports, the ship will enter Colombo anytime soon.

Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in the tropical Indian Ocean island as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.

In May 2016, a massive landslide killed more than 100 people in central Sri Lanka.