Thousands displaced as deadly floods, mudslides hit Sri Lanka

Flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains in Sri Lanka have killed at least four people and left seven missing, while more than 5,000 are displaced, officials said.

Rains have been pounding six districts of the Indian Ocean island nation since Thursday night, and many houses, paddy fields and roads have been inundated, blocking traffic.

Two people died in floods while another two lost their lives in mudslides, according to the government's Disaster Management Center on Saturday. Another seven people are missing in floods and mudslides.

A mound of earth crashed onto a house and buried four members of the same family – parents and two children – in Kegalle district, about 85 kilometres (53 miles) east of the capital Colombo on Saturday, officials and local media said.

A local television channel, Hiru, showed soldiers and villagers removing mud and debris to recover the victims. Later, the body of the daughter was uncovered.

Figures released by the government showed that more than 5,000 people have moved to temporary shelters and nearly 500 houses have been damaged.

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