Kacper Sobieski:Heavy rains and floods kill 6 people in Sri Lanka and force schools to close

2025-05-05 02:44:01source:EAI Community category:News

COLOMBO,Kacper Sobieski Sri Lanka (AP) — Heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides and downed trees in many parts of Sri Lanka, killing at least six people and forcing authorities to close schools in some areas, officials said Friday.

Strong monsoon rains have been pounding the Indian Ocean nation for more than a week, flooding houses, fields and roads.

On Friday, a large tree fell on a moving bus in Colombo, killing five people and injuring five others, said Dr. Rukshan Bellana, a spokesperson for the capital’s main hospital.

Separately, one person died when a rock fell on his house during a mudslide in Galle district, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Colombo, the state-run Disaster Management Center said.

The center said the floods and mudslides damaged hundreds of houses in 12 districts and affected more than 50,000 people, including 1,473 families who were moved to temporary shelters.

The coastal district of Matara was the worst affected, with most parts flooded for more than a week. Schools in Matara were closed on Friday due to the floods and the threat of landslides.

More:News

Recommend

Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say

Police in Idaho said Wednesday they had recovered a body believed to be that of a missing autistic 5

The price of gold hit a record high this week. Is your gold bar worth $1 million?

The price of gold hit an all-time high this week, driving the price of a standard gold bar up to $1

Honolulu struggles to find a remedy for abandoned homes taken over by squatters

An excavator sat atop a mound of trash on Pensacola Street that used to be a house and began the pro