Sri Lanka issues landslide warnings amidst heavy rains

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center on Monday issued landslide warnings for several districts of the island country after the Meteorology Department warned of further rains in the coming days.

The DMC said since rains had exceeded 150 mm within the past 24 hours in several areas, people living closer to landslide prone areas would be evacuated to avoid the risk of slope failures, rock falls, cutting failures and ground subsidence.

Some of the districts which have been worst affected are Ratnapura, in south central Sri Lanka, Nuwera Eliya in the central hills and Kegalle located 78 km away from capital Colombo.

The Meteorology Department, in its latest weather update said more rains of above 150 mm were expected in the island in the coming days especially in the Western, Southern and Central parts of the country.

The department urged the public to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning.