Sri Lanka’s military is airdropping food and water to affected areas as rescue operations continue, authorities said.
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Since Monday, at least 64 people have died from floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains, and around half a million people have been driven from home.
“It’s a very hard task, but troops will carry out their work in the hope of finding more” in the remote, disaster site in Kegalle district, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) north of Colombo, said millitary spokesman Brig.
It was emphasized that the government and the people of the People’s Republic of China will do its utmost for Sri Lanka’s relief work.
Sri Lankans clambered onto rubber dinghies and makeshift rafts Friday to flee their flooded capital as fresh downpours elsewhere hampered relief efforts.
Floodwater levels in parts of the capital, where thousands of homes have been inundated, also subsided a little overnight, disaster officials said.
Flood victims wait to get relief goods at a temporary relocation site in Kelaniya District, Sri Lanka, May 20, 2016.
The Sri Lanka flood that has engulfed the core areas of the capital city Colombo and the other parts of the island country is causing much distress to the citizen’s lives.
A regional police officer said that some 144 people, including 37 children, are missing. People continued to remain in the area despite government requests to evacuate, as they fear for their property.
Soldiers joined relief workers in distributing essential supplies to around 300,000 people sheltering in state-run centres, Kodippili told AFP. The flood-hit people are being rescued and are being offered safe shelter as the Meteorological Department issued warning of more rain in the evening hours, reported Indian Express.
Officials said there had been a huge outpouring of sympathy for victims with donations of food, clothing and dry rations.
Soldiers looked for bodies in thick mud deposits in the central district of Kegalle, where landslides swallowed up three villages on Tuesday.
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“I am calling on the Commonwealth family to provide support to Sri Lanka through coordinated assistance in the aftermath of this tragedy”, she said.
