500 000 flee homes amid Sri Lanka deadly flood

Severe flooding in Sri Lanka has forced half a million people to flee their homes across the island nation, officials say, as the death toll from days of torrential rain and landslides rose to more than 60. The toll is likely to rise sharply as authorities battling muddy conditions begin to give up hope of reaching 132 people believed to be trapped under the landslides.
"I don't think there will be any survivors," Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, the officer in charge of the rescue operation, told Reuters.
"There are places where the mud level is up to 9 metres. We will keep going until we can recover the maximum."

The heaviest rains in a quarter of a century have pounded Sri Lanka since last weekend, ahead of the arrival of the south-west monsoon. The worst-hit areas were in Colombo's north-eastern suburbs along the Kelani river, which began bursting its banks on Thursday evening. Three people have been killed in flood-related incidents in Colombo but the national toll now stands at 64 dead and 29 injured. The district of Kegalle, about 100 kilometres north-east of the capital, has been worst-hit, with the toll from two separate landslides rising to 34.
President Maithripala Sirisena urged people to provide shelter and donate cash or food as offers of assistance came in from overseas.
"We have already got some assistance from our friends in the international community," he said in a televised address.
"Now I want to ask private individuals, companies and non-governmental organisations to help in anyway you can to help the victims."
The national Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 21 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts had been affected by flooding.
Around 300,000 people had been moved to shelters while a further 200,000 were staying with friends or family. Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said the Government had sought foreign aid in the form of motors, boats and water purifying tablets. India said it was sending two naval ships and an aircraft loaded with emergency supplies, including medicine, tents and mobile toilets.