Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Sri Lanka

Adverse weather in South: woman dead, several houses destroyed

A woman has died and several houses in the Wanduramba, Imaduwa, and Baddegama areas in Galle have been destroyed in landslides that were triggered by the heavy rains that prevailed during the past few days, the Galle District Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.The deceased has been identified as Mabotuwana Withanage Lasanthi Rasika, a 46-year-old mother of three. She was a resident of Wanduramba, the DMC said.

Two of her children had been at home when the incident occurred. They had run out of the house at the time. A 48-year-old female relative who had been in the house at the time had been admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, they added.Disaster Management Officials had been dispatched immediately when reports on the landslides had come in. However, they cannot reach all the affected areas due to flood risks, Disaster Management Centre officials said.

The Galle Additional District Secretary said that the residents of the house where the woman died had been warned about the possibility of landslides occurring near them, they added. Around 5,199 people from 1,386 families in 10 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Galle District had been reported to have been affected by the adverse weather, the DMC said. Southern Province Governor Hemal Gunasekera said yesterday that all schools in the Galle and Matara districts are to be closed today and tomorrow due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions in the South.