146 dead after severe flooding and mudslides in Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka Severe flooding brought on by monsoon rains across southwestern portions of Sri Lanka has resulted in the deaths of at least 169 people, according to the country's Ministry of Disaster Management.
As many as 112 people are still missing, and the death toll is expected to rise, as authorities battle to rescue those still stranded and warn of the possibility of crocodile attacks.
"It was only the next morning that troops arrived in boats, and took us to safe ground," Banakiyanage Gnanawathie, who lives in the badly hit town of Matara, told CNN by phone.
"I have never seen such floods though I have spent my entire lifetime in Matara. We have lost all our belongings and remain in the clothes we wore. I am still happy we escaped the floods and even the crocodiles," she said.
She said that they won't be able to return home for days.
"There is only a roof and building. We have lost everything else."
The heavy rain occurred over a very short period of time, leading to the displacement of 112,000 people, according to Pradeep Kodippily, spokesman for Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center. Almost half a million people have been affected by the flooding.
The bout of severe weather has also triggered landslides throughout the country.
The southern coastal city of Galle has seen 223 millimeters (8.78 inches) of rainfall over the past 48 hours, and Ratnapura, further inland, has experienced 453 millimeters (17.8 inches) of rain over the same period.
Police and military rescue teams are moving by boat to rescue those marooned as well as retrieve corpses.
Houses and shops remain submerged in ten to thirty feet of water. The expressway from Colombo to Matara, 100 miles south of the capital, remains flooded in several areas.
INDIA SHOWS HELPING HAND'S
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs activated its Emergency Response Unit and called on the United Nations' International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, as well as neighboring countries, to help in the recovery effort. The government has deployed 2,000 military personnel to affected areas.
India has dispatched three naval vessels to its southern neighbor to deliver relief aid and disaster expertise.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately directed provision of all necessary assistance," a statement issued by High Commission of India, Colombo, read.
"He also expressed condolences at the loss of lives and property and said that India stands with her Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in their hour of need."
The navy's official twitter handle posted media of one of the vessels, INS Shardul, docking in Colombo and unloading aid Sunday. It joins the INS Kirch, and a larger vessel, INS Jalashwa, will arrive within the next two days.
The country's High Commission in Colombo tweeted images of "Indian diving and medical teams deployed at Kalutara, Ratmalana (and) Galle with (Sri Lankan) navy relief (operations
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