Sri Lanka: Mudslides bury hundreds of villagers

Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains crashed down onto at least three villages in the central hills of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 37 people dead with more than 220,000 displaced.


Villagers recalled hearing and seeing the torrents of muddy water, tree branches, and debris crashing down around their homes late on Tuesday.

"I heard a huge sound like a plane crashing into the Earth," AG Kamala, 52, who had just returned to her house in Siripura village when the landslides hit the area, about 100km northeast of the capital, Colombo.

"I opened my door. I could not believe my eyes, as I saw something like a huge fireball rolling down the mountain and again a huge sound," she told the AP news agency.

The Disaster Management Centre reported over 350,000 people were affected by the landslides. Some 220 families were reported missing, the Sri Lankan Red Cross said in a statement. Officials could not give the village populations, but such villages typically include about 1,000-1,500 residents.......http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/sri-lanka-mudslides-bury-150-people-red-cross-160518073500537.html
18/5/16
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