More than 40 people killed as heavy rains trigger floods in Sri Lanka | Climate Crisis News

At least 10 were injured as traffic and trains were disrupted amid bad weather and rising flood waters in many areas.

More than 40 people have died in Sri Lanka after heavy rains triggered landslides and flooding, officials say, with authorities halting passenger trains and closing roads in parts of the country.

The government’s disaster management center said Thursday that 25 of the reported deaths occurred in the hilly tea-growing regions of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka, about 300 km (186 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

The Center said 21 other people were missing and 10 were injured in landslides in the same areas.

Sri Lanka began experiencing severe weather last week, which worsened over the weekend as heavy rains left homes, farms and roads flooded.

Reservoirs and rivers are in spate, blocking roads. Officials said some major roads connecting the provinces were closed.

Authorities stopped trains in some areas of the hilly region after rocks, mud and trees fell on the railway tracks. Local television showed workers clearing debris. In some areas, the tracks have been flooded due to floods.

Local television showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people trapped on the roof of a flooded house, while the navy and police used boats to transport residents.

The footage also showed a car swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, about 410 km (256 miles) east of Colombo, killing three passengers.

The weather-related death toll this week is the highest since June last year when 26 people died due to heavy rains. Floods and landslides killed 17 people in December.

The worst flood this century occurred in June 2003 when 254 people died.

Sri Lanka depends on seasonal monsoon rains for irrigation and hydropower, but experts have warned that the climate crisis is threatening the country with frequent floods.