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At least 146 killed in Sri Lankan floods

At least 146 people have died in Sri Lanka's worst flooding for over a decade. More than 100 othe...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.49 28 May 2017


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At least 146 killed in Sri Lan...

At least 146 killed in Sri Lankan floods

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.49 28 May 2017


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At least 146 people have died in Sri Lanka's worst flooding for over a decade.

More than 100 others remain missing, as rescuers continue to pull bodies from under mudslides.

Around 400,000 people have been forced from their homes as the government appeals for international help.

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Floodwaters were receding in some areas after a break in the rain, giving authorities a chance to deliver much-needed supplies to victims who lost everything in the deluge.

Nearly 2,000 houses were damaged or completely destroyed. While almost half a million Sri Lankans had been forced from their homes, with most moving into temporary shelters.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said "We have the expertise to deal with this situation,"  before adding that cholera and diarrhoea had been successfully prevented in past floods.

The government withdrew an evacuation order for thousands of residents in the southern district of Matara as water levels subsided.

Irrigation department director M. Thuraisingham said "The threat of floods around the (river) Nilvala has subsided," before saying "The flood levels near Colombo have also gone down because we did not have rain in the past 24 hours."

Mahieash Johnney from the Red Cross says aid has started to arrive. 

 


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