Massive Mudslide In Sri Lanka Kills At Least 10 And Leaves 300 Missing
Massive search operation under way for survivors after 140 houses are reportedly washed away amid heavy monsoon rains, The Guardian reported.
By Sadho Ram — 29 Oct 2014, 06:17 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
On Wednesday, 29 October, a major mudslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains buried over 140 houses at a tea estate in central Sri Lanka. According to initial media reports, at least ten people were killed in the mudslide and some 300 people are missing.
Some of the worst damage was recorded at a well-known tea plantation several hours' drive to the east of the capital Colombo. Rescue efforts were being hampered by damage to roads in the region. "We have reports of 140 houses getting washed away in the mudslides," Sarath Kumara, a spokesman for the national Disaster Management Centre, told AFP.
themalaysianinsider.com
Security forces have been mobilised in search and rescue operations. Mudslide warnings were issued after much of Sri Lanka was lashed by heavy rain in the past few weeks.
The mudslide hit the Meeriyabedda tea plantation near the town of Haldummulla, about 200 km (120 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Wednesday at 07:30 local time (02:30 GMT). Ten people have been confirmed dead and more than 300 are missing, Disaster Management Centre spokesman Sarath Kumara told the BBC.
The weather has now cleared and army, air force and police personnel are searching for survivors, the BBC's South Asia correspondent Sanjoy Majumder reports. However, military officials say rescue efforts are being hampered by fog in the area.
As per Major General Mano Perera, the top military official in the area, some houses have been buried in 30 feet (9 metre) of mud
The top military official in the area, Major General Mano Perera, said around 20 units have been deployed for the rescue effort. He said efforts were being hampered by poor visibility, with the area shrouded in mist.
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Mano Perera said the air force as well as elite police commandos had been deployed for the rescue, adding that they were hopeful of finding survivors. "We have already rescued some people and they have been sent to hospital," he said, without giving exact figures.
yahoo.comAs per Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror, an area of about 2 km has been affected by the landslide, while sections of several national highways have been washed away by the rains
The victims were tea plantation workers and their families. A local hospital source said two men and a woman rescued from the mud had been brought in for treatment.
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"I was under the rubble and some people took me out... my mother and aunt have died," a woman who was being treated for injuries told media. "We saw smoke around the area. Some people shouted and asked us to run away, so we ran," another survivor said.
reuters.com
The annual monsoon brings vital rains for irrigation and electricity generation, but also causes frequent loss of life and damage to property. In June, monsoon rains triggered landslides that killed over 20 people and forced thousands to flee their homes.
