Colombo - SPA
Rain in Sri Lanka triggering floods and landslides has displaced more than 50,000 people, officials said Thursday.
According to dpa, the number of people displaced has increased by 150,000 since Monday, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) officials said, adding that there are signs the figures will rise.
Six days of heavy rains have flooded irrigation tanks and hydro-power reservoirs in the northern and central parts of the country, prompting irrigation officials to open sluice gates to prevent the tanks' breaching.
Only 80,000 of the displaced people have accommodation in camps set up by the government, the DMC said. Others are living with friends, relatives or in other temporary accommodation run by voluntary organisations.