30 DEAD, DOZENS MISSING IN COLLAPSE OF MOUNTAIN OF TRASH AND MUD

• Rescuers on Monday were digging through heaps of mud and trash that collapsed onto homes near a garbage dump outside Sri Lanka’s capital, killing at least 30 people and possibly burying dozens more.

Hundreds of people had been living in the neighbourhood on the fringe of the towering dump in Meetotamulla, a town near Colombo, when a huge mound collapsed Friday night during a celebration for the local new year, damaging at least 150 homes.

By Monday morning, authorities had pulled the bodies from the debris, according to a Disaster Management Center report. Authorities were unsure how many more people could still be trapped, with contradictory reports being released. They announced 30 people were missing Monday but later reduced the number to 11.