Sri Lanka to face more rains from cyclonic storm

Sri Lanka's Meteorology Department warned on Thursday that more rains would occur in the country in the next few days as the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal had intensified into a cyclonic storm.

The department said that the cyclonic storm ROANU was now located around 600 km north of Kankesanthurai in the northern district.

However, it said that while it was moving away from the island, strong winds and very heavy rainfall would be expected in some districts.

The government on Thursday instructed all schools to close on Friday and advised people to remain cautious.

Strong winds and heavy rains have continued in many districts in Sri Lanka since Saturday evening causing severe floods and landslides.

The Disaster Management Center said that the death toll from the floods and landslides had reached 43 while hundreds were missing.

Rescue operations continued in Central Kegalle district, where two massive landslides had killed at least 27 and 150 were feared buried under the debris.

Army Spokesperson Brigadier Jayantha Jayaweera told Xinhua that more troops had been deployed to carry out rescue efforts and they were hopeful that more survivors would be found under mud and rock. Endit