SL issues landslide warnings amidst heavy rains

 Sri Lanka on Monday issued landslide warnings for several districts of the island nation after the Meteorology Department warned of further rains in the coming days.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said that since rains exceeded 150 mm within the past 24 hours in several areas, people living closer to landslide prone areas would be evacuated to avoid the risk of slope failures, rock falls, cutting failures and ground subsidence, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some of the worst affected districts were Ratnapura, in south central Sri Lanka, Nuwera Eliya in the central hills and Kegalle located 78 km away from capital Colombo.

The Meteorology Department said more rains of above 150 mm were expected in the coming days especially in the Western, Southern and Central parts of the country.

The department urged the public to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary strong winds and lightning.IANS