Death toll in Sri Lankan mudslide rises to 151
● More survivors unlikely, warns head of island’s search and rescue
The death toll in Sri Lanka’s mudslides disaster last night rose to 151 with 111 others still missing.
Search and rescue head Major-general Sudantha Ranasinghe said he did not expect any more survivors to be found as rescuers pulled out more bodies.
The country’s health minister said 102,218 displaced people were being sheltered in 339 relief centres and special medical teams were sent to the affected areas, with medicine taken by air to hospitals where access was cut off.
Access roads are still blocked in some parts due to flooding, and fuel shortages have been reported.
Soldiers took advantage of a lull in the rain to clear road access to most affected areas while boats reached others. People waded knee-deep in floodwaters to reach army lorries bringing relief supplies and taking away evacuees.
More rains are forecast for today, threatening further misery to more than 100,000 people displaced in western and southern areas after the island was hit by two days of torrential rain.
The UN said it was assisting in relief efforts in response to a government appeal.
It promised to donate water purification tablets, tents and other supplies for the displaced. India sent a shipload of goods, while the United States and Pakistan also promised to send relief supplies.
Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in Sri Lanka as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.
They occur when a large amount of water causes the rapid erosion of soil on a steep slope. Rapid snowmelt at the top of a mountain or a period of intense rainfall can trigger a mudslide as the great volume of water mixes with soil and causes it to liquefy and move downhill.
A mudslide can vary from very watery mud to thick mud with tons of debris, including large boulders, trees, and even cars or houses. Mudslides are responsible for many deaths and millions of pounds in property damage in countries around the world every year.
Mudslides often occur in areas with steep slopes or at the bottom of canyons. Mountainous areas that have been altered to build homes and roads are often prone to mudslides. When human actions or natural events increase erosion in an area, mudslides can be a natural result.
On 14 December, 1999, a mudslide in Vargas, Venezuela, affected more than 37 miles of Venezuelan coastline. Some experts estimated that up to 30,000 people died as a result of the mudslide, which resulted in damages of over $3 billion (£2.34bn).