37 dead, 21 missing as floods, landslides torment Sri Lanka

With a three-day-long spell of heavy rains over Sri Lanka coming to an end on Wednesday, the toll due to floods and landslides went up to 37. The authorities recovered 17 bodies during the day, including 14 in Aranayake of the Kegalle district, where several families were feared buried in a landslide on Tuesday night.

On the damages caused by the rains in 18 districts, Pradeep Kodippili, a spokesperson of the Disaster Management Centre, told PTI on Wednesday that about 3.52 lakh people were affected. Of them, 2.23 lakh people were removed to safe locations. As many as 211 houses were fully damaged and 2,647 houses partially hit.