Four killed, 700,000 displaced in earth slips and floods

(January 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Four persons including two children were killed and nine others missing in an earth slip in Kandy as floods swept through several parts of the country displacing more than 700,000 people, officials said Sunday.

Six houses were buried in an earth slip close to the Kandy town, at Deveni Rajasinha Mawatha off Getambe and so far four bodies were recovered and five were others rescued.

Villagers said there were nine others at the time of the incident and the army was trying to locate them.

Huge rock stones also had fallen on the houses making it difficult to carryout the rescue operations, an official said.

Meanwhile heavy rains continued in the central, eastern and north central parts of the country on Sunday.

Schools have been closed indefinetly in the eastern Batticaloa district while several tanks have also breached.

The army and the air forces has been called into to help in the rescue operations.

At least 11 persons marooned were rescued by an army helicopter in the Batticaloa areas