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Sri Lankaâ€™s flood kills 21, displaces hundreds of thousands

28 December 2014 03:43 (UTC +04:00)

Authorities said the death toll due to adverse weather conditions in Sri Lanka rose to 21 on Saturday.

A week has passed since the calamity began with heavy rains leading to serious flooding and mudslides. Meanwhile, at least nine people have been reported missing.

On December 26, the number of those killed and displaced stood at 14 and 800,000 respectively.

Officials from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said flood has affected the island nation's North Central and Eastern Provinces, while landslides were reported in the central part of the country.

At least ten people were killed in the landslide in Badulla. In this major city of Sri Lanka, located some 220 kilometres (around 137 miles) east of the capital, nine missing people might have been buried under the mudslide. Officials said they are trying to find the missing ones.

According to the officials, only 86,000 _nearly 10 percent_ of the displaced have been provided with temporary accommodation centers by the government.

Although the presidential elections were timetabled to be held on January 8, the disaster has made its preparations difficult.

A senior elections official said, "The elections commissioner is meeting with officials from the respective districts affected to work out contingency plans regarding the conduct of elections."

Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, travelled to two districts of Badulla and Anuradhapura, 180 kilometres north-east of the capital, to visit the landslide and flood victims there.