Sri Lankans wade through an inundated street following heavy rainfall at Malwana, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 5, 2021. 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 Saturday. 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.
At least four people are dead and several missing after intense rainfall brought flooding and mudslides to several areas in southwestern Sri Lanka.
Some 5,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of the weather, The Associated Press reported. About 500 homes have been damaged, according to government reports.
The Sri Lanka Air Force said flooding affected six districts around the capital city of Colombo. Nearly 8 inches of rain fell in Algama, just to the northeast of the city.
"Much of the western and southern portions of the country were under red warnings yesterday for flooding, the country's highest weather alert," weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said.
It appears that those warnings have passed, but the country is warning that some flooding may still be possible.
The rain is from the summer monsoon that has kicked in across Sri Lanka and southern India, Belles said.
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Aerial video and photos from the Sri Lankan air force showed water surrounding homes and inundating fields and roadways.
Two people died in the floods while another two were killed in mudslides, the AP reported, citing the government's Disaster Management Center. Seven people were missing.
At least one of the victims was in a house that was buried in a mudslide in Kegalle district, about 53 miles east of Colombo on Saturday. Parents and two children were in the home at the time.
About 22 million people live in Sri Lanka, an Indian Ocean island nation off the southern tip of India.
The nation is also dealing with a potential environmental disaster off its western coast, where a burned ship carrying hazardous cargo is stuck. Officials believe much of the chemicals and other cargo burned in the blaze, but are standing by in case of an oil spill or other issue.
Debris from the ship, including plastic pellets that were in the cargo, has already littered beaches in the area.
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