Parts of Sri Lanka are being evacuated due to a severe storm causing floods and landslides that have resulted in the deaths of at least 31 individuals.
The National Building Research Organisation of the country has issued Red Alerts, instructing the immediate evacuation of various regions including Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Monaragala, and Nuwara Eliya.
The most severely affected areas have been the central tea-growing highlands, which are popular among British holidaymakers. In the Badulla district, 16 people lost their lives after mountain slopes collapsed onto their residences overnight. Additionally, four fatalities were reported in a similar landslide in the neighboring Nuwara Eliya district.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has reported that close to 400 homes have been damaged by mudslides, leading to the displacement of over 1,100 families to temporary shelters. River levels are on the rise throughout the island, prompting residents in low-lying areas to relocate to higher ground.
Meteorological authorities have predicted over 100 millimeters of rainfall across the nation, with heavy downpours of up to 250 millimeters anticipated in the northeast on Thursday.
The current death toll for this week is the highest recorded from weather-related incidents in Sri Lanka since June of the previous year. While the country heavily relies on monsoon rains for agriculture and power production, experts caution that climate change is contributing to more frequent and severe flooding occurrences.