Flood death toll reaches 25
14 missing, 36 injured:
Disna Mudalige
Twenty five deaths had been reported due to inclement weather, while
another 14 people were missing and 36 people injured, Disaster
Management Minister Mahindananda Amaraweera said yesterday.
He was addressing the media at the Cabinet press briefing at the Mass
Media and Information Ministry auditorium yesterday.
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A lorry toppled after it got stuck in the flood waters in
Chilaw yesterday. Picture by Prasad Purnamal |
According to the Disaster Management Centre situation report released
yesterday, 314,916 people belonging to 80,534 families had been affected
due to bad weather, while 19,341 people belonging to 5,421 families
among them had been provided shelter in 169 evacuation centres. About
337 houses had been fully damaged while 2,075 houses had been partially
damaged. Flash floods had been experienced in Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa,
Ampara, Batticaloa, Chilaw and Hambantota districts and several parts of
the country.
Rescue missions in areas affected by inclement weather are continuing
with the support of the Tri Forces and the Police.
Minister Amaraweera said certain areas are still unapproachable due
to flood waters, adding that cooked food have been distributed to people
in affected areas through boats.
Landslides and earth slips have been reported from Matale, Nuwara
Eliya, Kandy and Badulla districts. Refuting rumours that the recent
disaster signals doom's day, the minister said these rumours have no
truth or scientific base.
Amaraweera said most reservoirs had already been filled and the soil
had no capacity to retain more water due to heavy rains which lashed the
country last October and November putting an end to the drought.
He said this was the main reason for flash floods in many parts of
the country.
Amaraweera said some areas had experienced rainfall between 250ml to
300 ml per day.
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