Heavy rains claim 15 lives and trigger red alert in Sri Lanka

Weather report

From IANS

less than an hour ago

TWC India

Teams rescue flood victims in Velachery, Chennai (BCCL – CHENNAI/BCCL – TOI DIGITAL EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT/LR Shankar) — Representative image

(BCCL – CHENNAI/BCCL – DIGITAL EDITOR BY TOI/LR Shankar)

Monday, June 3: Sri Lanka continues to be hit by heavy rains and fierce winds that have killed at least 15 people and left more than 13,000 families homeless, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) reported.

Most of the fatalities occurred in the capital Colombo, where more than 300 millimetres of rain had fallen since the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The weather service has issued a red warning for heavy rainfall for several provinces and predicts rainfall of over 150 mm for the next 24 hours.

Infrastructure damage, precautionary measures and more

Due to the persistent bad weather conditions, the Ministry of Education has closed all schools for Monday. The highway to the south of Sri Lanka has been closed and several entrances and exits are flooded. Train services have been suspended in many areas because railway lines and signaling systems are under water and damaged. In addition, the Ministry of Energy has switched off the electricity in several areas as a precautionary measure because power lines have been damaged by falling trees and flooding.

The Sri Lankan Navy and other military units have been dispatched with boats to assist in rescue operations in the flooded areas.

Amid the chaos, 71 wards in 15 districts, including Colombo, have been declared high-risk areas for dengue. A recent survey found a rise in mosquito breeding grounds, with nearly 25,000 cases and nine deaths reported so far this year.

Sri Lanka is grappling with the immediate impact of the heavy rains. The combination of flood risk and the threat of a dengue outbreak underscores the urgent need for effective disaster preparedness and public health measures.

The above article was published by a news agency with minimal changes to the headline and text.