Colombo: At least 23 persons were killed and over 1.66 lakh persons were affected due to heavy monsoon rains in Sri Lanka in the past 10 days, official figures indicated on Sunday. Over 75,013 of the affected people have been evacuated from flooded areas whereas 13 persons have been reported missing, the country’s Disaster Management Centre said.
The displaced have been put up in 339 camps and shelters. Rain and strong winds have lashed around 20 districts, especially in the southern half of the country, for more than a week now, Efe news reported.
At least 1,359 members of the armed forces have been deployed in rescue operations across the country, and another 6,264 are on standby, the centre said.
Every year, Sri Lanka experiences heavy rain during the monsoon.
In June last year, monsoon rain and cyclone Mora had caused at least 212 deaths. As many as 79 persons were reported missing.
IANS