Heavy rains cause havoc

Heavy rains experienced in since Sunday evening have stranded people and caused heavy damage, Disaster Management Centre said.

The Civil Defence Force said that a number of farmer families are marooned by sudden floods in the Polonnaruwa district.

Around 45 marooned villagers were rescued since yesterday, a spokesman of the Civil Defence Force said.

An earth slip was reported from Hunnasgiriya area on the Kandy-Mahiyanganaya main road. The earth slip has blocked the traffic on the road.

The Sri Lankan Army with the assistance of Police this morning rescued 450 students of Vavuniya Campus of Jaffna University and Sri Jayewardenepura University in Kotte who got lost due to adverse weather in the Hanthana Mountain in Kandy.

The students had lost their way and stayed throughout the night in the mountain in severe fog and heavy rain and 43 students were admitted to the hospital this morning, the Army said.

Showers lashed many parts of the island Monday morning and floods have been reported from Matale and Kandy Districts. Several roads in Colombo too were flooded.

Several earth slips caused traffic blocks in Nuwara Eliya District, Disaster Management Ministry reported.

The Meteorology Department reported a highest rainfall of 116 mm in Kandy with heavy rains since last evening. Elsewhere in the island, Batticaloa received 91 mm, Badulla 89 mm, Kurunegala 86 mm, and Nuwara Eliya 78 mm.

Due to an atmospheric disturbance to the south of Sri Lanka, cloudy skies and showery weather will continue in the most parts of the island, the Meteorology Department said.