Feature: Sri Lanka mourns as hopes fade to find landslide survivors

When 72-year-old K.D. Piyasiri stepped out of his home on Tuesday evening, little did he realize that he would never see his two grand children again.

He adored them and waits in hope to see them alive.

"They were all I had. But now I think I have lost them. How can I live without them?" Piyasiri said, while he stood near the entrance of an IDP camp in Sri Lanka's central Kegalle District.

Piyasiri was among the 150 who were rescued by the military when a landslide struck Aranayake on Tuesday evening.

The landslide is the worst in Sri Lanka's history as three villages were engulfed in mud and water.

Officials say 144 people remain trapped under the debris and they hope to find some survivors.

"I lost my son, daughter in law and my two grand children. But their bodies have not been found so I am sure I will see them alive," Piyasiri said as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Piyasiri had stepped out of his house on Tuesday night to purchase his weekly lottery ticket but as he stood near the lottery seller, he heard a loud noise from the sky.

As he ran towards his house, he saw the building being buried under the mud. All he could do was run in the opposite direction.

Rescue teams are continuing with their efforts to find the missing but hope is fading.

On Thursday, rescue efforts were hampered when severe rains continued in Aranayake causing more landslides. The relatives of the victims could do nothing but watch, hoping their loved ones would be found alive under the debris.

"We will not give up our efforts. But we are facing a lot of difficulties with the continuous rains. We have saved 150 but we pray to find more survivors," Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe, in charge of the rescue missions, told Xinhua.

So far, 14 bodies have been recovered from the debris and 144 are missing. But rescue officials said that numbers may be higher.

Out of the 14 found, 11 have been identified.

"The rescue teams are working hard but I do not know how many may be still alive. There is too much mud and water. The landslide took away everything from us. We have nothing left now," a 27-year-old G.W. Sumanawathie said.

Sumanawathie was able to save her paralyzed mother when she heard a loud noise on Tuesday night but had to watch helplessly as her younger brother got buried under the mud.

"I cannot explain my grief. All I remember was a loud noise and then it was all over."

Troops recovered 13 bodies from Bulathkohupitiya, also in Sri Lanka's Kegalle District, when a landslide buried six houses in the early hours of Wednesday.

Fifteen more are missing and as heavy rains hamper efforts, little hope remains of survivors.

The government on Thursday briefed the diplomatic community in the country on the extent of damage and the assistance that may be required by foreign donors following the devastating landslides and floods which has been the worst to hit the nation since 1991.

Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told reporters in the capital after the meeting that the government appreciated the concern and support extended by the international community and the government would continue efforts to provide relief to the victims.

While the numbers killed and missing could yet not be verified, Yapa said rescue teams were continuing with efforts to save those affected.

"There has been too much destruction. But we will continue with our efforts. The government has provided relief and funding and we requested foreign assistance for things such as clean water," Yapa said.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne warned the public to be cautious of water borne diseases due to the floods and said that health officials would visit the devastation sites to educate the public.

According to latest figures by the Disaster Management Center, the death toll from the flash floods and landslides had risen to 58 by Thursday afternoon and over 450,000 people had been affected. The numbers missing could not yet be verified.

However as heavy rains continue, the DMC has warned of more landslides and rising water levels and has advised the public to evacuate hilly areas, roads and low lying areas.

More rains are expected in the country in the coming days due to the formation of a cyclonic storm and as a threat of more landslides and floods persist, the victims of Aranayake remain in hope, that those buried under the heavy debris are pulled to safety, and can be reunited with their families once again. Endit