(AGALAWATTE, Sri Lanka) — Sri Lanka has appealed for outside help as the death toll from floods and mudslides rose Saturday to 100 with 99 others missing.

The Disaster Management Center said more than 27,000 people have been displaced.

The military used large armored vehicles and boats to transport people to safety. But some remained trapped in interior villages where boats have been unable to reach.

At an intersection close to Agalawatte, 98 kilometers (60 miles) south of Colombo, the capital, four bodies in coffins were kept in a house, awaiting boats to be taken to a temple where displaced people have taken refuge.

Separately, five members of the same family who were buried in a mudslide — a husband and wife and three teenage children — were laid to rest in a common grave Saturday afternoon. The family's eldest son was the only survivor because he was not at home when the disaster occurred.

Residents of Wehangalla village near Agalawatte were marooned as floodwaters swamped most of the buildings up to the roof. They had fled to higher terrain, but four people among them died in a mudslide and three others are missing. They complained that government aid still had not reached the area and they were surviving on food provided by those in nearby villagers.

Muslim fishermen from the nearby coastal town of Beruwala came with their boats to help evacuate those stranded while observing the Ramadan fast.

Sri Lanka's government appealed to the United Nations as well as other countries for help with rescue and relief measures.

Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in the tropical Indian Ocean island as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.

Last May, a massive landslide killed more than 100 people in central Sri Lanka. </s> Sri Lanka has appealed for outside help as the death toll from floods and mudslides on Saturday rose to 100 with 99 others missing.

The Disaster Management Center said more than 2,900 people have been displaced.

The military used large armored vehicles and boats to transport people to safety. But some remained trapped in interior villages where boats have been unable to reach.

At an intersection close to Agalawatte, 98 kilometers (60 miles) south of capital Colombo, four bodies in coffins were kept in a house, awaiting boats to be taken to a temple where displaced people have taken refuge.

Residents of Wehangalla village near Agalawatte were marooned as floodwaters swamped most of the buildings up to the roof. They had fled to higher terrain but four people among them died in a mudslide and three others are missing. They complained that government aid still had not reached the area and they were surviving on food provided by those in nearby villagers.

The Sri Lankan government appealed to the U.N and other countries for help with rescue and relief measures.

Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in the tropical Indian Ocean island as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.

Last May, a massive landslide killed more than 100 people in central Sri Lanka. </s> At least six people were killed and several others went missing when two landslides were reported from different locations in Bulathsinhala in Sri Lanka's southern Kalutara District on Friday following strong winds and heavy rainfalls, police said. Meanwhile, police said that several people were also missing due to a flood situation in Agalawatta of Kalutara district and the tri forces and rescue teams had been deployed on rescue missions.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Xinhuanet. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rescuers dig for Sri Lanka mudslide victims

Flooding and mudslides triggered by monsoon rains have left at least 91 people dead and more than 100 missing in Sri Lanka, officials say.

About 20,000 have been forced from their homes in the south and west of the country, rescue agencies said.

Military boats and helicopters have been sent to help rescue operations.

The flooding is believed to be the worst since May 2003 when a similarly powerful south-west monsoon destroyed 10,000 homes and killed 250 people.

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the death toll was rising as reports filtered in from outlying areas.

"The south-west monsoon began with very intense rain," Dunesh Gankanda, deputy minister for disaster management, told reporters in the capital, Colombo.

"There are some areas where we are unable to reach, but relief operations are under way."

Image copyright AFP Image caption Many roads have been cut off, the government said, hampering the rescue effort

One of the worst affected areas is reported to be the south-western district of Kalutara. Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said at least five mudslides had been reported there.

The DMC issued evacuation notices to residents along the Kelani river, which flows through Colombo, amid fears that it was about to burst its banks.

"Residents who are living along the Kelani should evacuate to high ground within six hours," the agency said.

As the death toll rose, the government appealed to the UN and to neighbouring countries for assistance.

"The (foreign) ministry will continue to monitor the flood situation and seek assistance as required in consultation with the ministry of disaster management," the government said in a statement. </s> COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Heavy rain and lightning strikes across Sri Lanka have left at least seven people dead and displaced more than 1,000, officials said Monday.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said lighting killed six people and a landslide killed another in different parts of the island.

The Disaster Management Center said 1,024 people were moved to 20 safe locations. Hundreds of army troops and police were deployed to carry out relief work and rescue operations as heavy rains caused flash floods in many parts of the country.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing heavy rains since Sunday, prompting the government to issue landslide warnings for five districts.

The meteorology department warned of thundershowers with strong winds over the next 24 hours and asked people to take precautions against lightning strikes.

Sri Lanka has suffered frequent natural calamities in recent years. More than 200 people were killed in mudslides and floods during monsoon rains last May. </s> At least 103 people have been killed and nearly 500,000 displaced in Sri Lanka following flooding and mudslides triggered by monsoon rains, the government says.A further 113 people have been reported missing, a spokesman said.Military boats and helicopters have been sent to help rescue operations.The flooding is believed to be the worst since May 2003 when a similarly powerful south-west monsoon destroyed 10,000 homes and killed 250 people.Rescuers had set up 185 camps for displaced people and the town of Matara in the south of the island was being evacuated because of the risk of flooding, the spokesman said.Earlier, the head of military rescue operations Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe told the BBC that troops had reached all the affected areas and the risk to life had receded."There is no danger to life now, it is a matter of providing food, water and looking into sanitation," he said.One of the worst affected areas was the south-western district of Kalutara. At least five mudslides had been reported there, police said.Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) also issued evacuation notices to residents along the Kelani river, which flows through the capital Colombo, amid fears that it was about to burst its banks.An Indian navy ship carrying medical teams and emergency relief supplies has arrived in response to a Sri Lankan government plea for help."The (foreign) ministry will continue to monitor the flood situation and seek assistance as required in consultation with the ministry of disaster management," the government said in a statement. </s> New Delhi: With floods and landslides causing widespread devastation in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India stands by the people of the island nation and that ships are being rushed with relief material.

He condoled the death of 90 people due to rain-triggered floods and landslides in Sri Lanka.

"We stand with our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in their hour of need", he said in a tweet.

Modi said Indian ships are being dispatched with relief material.

"The first ship will reach Colombo tomorrow morning. The second will reach on Sunday. Further assistance on its way," he said in a series of tweets.

Heavy floods and landslides triggered by the worst rainfall since 1970s have killed over 90 people and left 110

 missing in Sri Lanka, officials said on Friday, warning the situation could get worse. </s> Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have killed at least 91 people while more than 100 are missing after torrential rain, officials said on Friday, as soldiers fanned out in boats and in helicopters to help with rescue operations.The early rainy season downpours have forced hundreds of people from their homes across the Indian Ocean island."There are at least five landslides reported in several places in Kalutara," said police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody, referring to the worst-hit district on the island's west coast."Rescue operations are still taking place."The disaster management center said 91 people had been killed and 110 were missing.The center said 38 deaths were reported from Kalutara while 46 were reported from the central southern district of Ratnapura.Military Spokesman Roshan Senevirathne said about 400 military personnel had been deployed with boats and helicopters to help the police and civilian agencies.The wettest time of the year in Sri Lanka's south is usually during the southern monsoon, from May to September. The island nation also receives heavy rains in the North West monsoonal season from November to February.and they expected more rain in the coming days as the South-west monsoon condition had established over the country.(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez) </s> * Some landslide, flood areas are not accessible-officials

AGALAWATTE, Sri Lanka, May 29 (Reuters) - A cyclone grew in strength as it churned north towards Bangladesh on Monday after heavy rain in rural Sri Lanka and thunderstorms in eastern India killed almost 200 people, with more torrential downpours forecast.

Floods and landslides in tropical Sri Lanka, off India's southern tip, have killed at least 169 people in recent days, authorities said, with 24 killed in storms in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, either by lightning strikes or under collapsed village huts.

India warned of heavy rains in the northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh as Cyclone Mora moved further up the Bay of Bengal.

Floods reached roof level and cut off access to many rural Sri Lankan villages, disrupting life for half a million people, many of them workers on rubber plantations, officials said.

Villagers in Agalawatte, in a key rubber-growing area 74 km (46 miles) southeast of the capital, Colombo, said they were losing hope of water levels falling soon after the heaviest rain since 2003. Fifty-three villagers died and 58 were missing.

"All access to our village is cut off. A landslide took place inside the village and several houses are buried," Mohomed Abdulla, 46, told Reuters.

Some areas in the southern coastal district of Galle, popular with foreign tourists, have not received relief due to lack of access.

"My entire village is cut off and nobody can come to this village," C.M. Chandrapla, 54, told Reuters by phone from the tourist village of Neluwa.

"There have been no supplies for the past two days. Water has gone above three-storey buildings and people survive by running to higher ground."

Bangladesh is hit by cyclones, many of them devastating, every year. Half a million people had their lives disrupted in low-lying coastal areas such as Barisal and Chittagong in May last year.

Authorities will relocate thousands from coastal areas before Mora hits, government officials said. About 10 million of Bangladesh's population of 160 million live in low-lying coastal areas.

"We have taken all sorts of steps to minimise any losses, including moving people away from the most vulnerable areas," Kazi Adbur Rahman, a senior government official in Cox's Bazaar, told Reuters by telephone.

The Sri Lankan military has sent in helicopters and boats in rescue efforts in the most widespread disaster since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. About 100 people were missing in total.

The meteorology department forecast torrential rains over the next 36 hours.

Residents in seven densely populated districts in the south and centre of Sri Lanka were asked to move away from unstable slopes in case of further landslides.

The wettest time of the year in Sri Lanka's south is usually during the southern monsoon, from May to September. The island also receives heavy rains in the North West monsoonal season from November to February.

Reuters witnessed some people stranded on the upper floors of their homes. Civilians and relief officials in boats distributed food, water and other relief items.

One of the worst-hit areas was the southern coastal district of Matara which is home to black tea plantations. Rohan Pethiyagod, head of the Tea Board in the world's largest exporter of top quality teas, said supplies would be disrupted for the next auction due to a lack of transportation.

Sri Lanka has already appealed for international assistance from the United Nations and neighbouring countries. (Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal in Colombo and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Writing by Shihar Aneez and Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Nick Macfie)
At least 126 people are dead, and 97 missing, after mudslides and floods caused by heavy rain in Sri Lanka. Over 100,000 people have been displaced.