Flooding kills 13 in Sri Lanka

Recent heavy rains across Sri Lanka caused flooding and landslides that left thousands homeless, killed 13 people and injured 44 others, the country’s disaster management agency said Tuesday.

Officials have set up 351 camps to house more than 127,500 displaced people in three provinces, the agency said in a statement. More than 863,000 people have been affected by the floods, the statement said.

The hardest hit areas were the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Ampara. Helicopters have been deployed to airlift villagers marooned in flood-stricken regions. And planes were delivering dry rations to the area.

The government has ordered the closure of schools in the North Central, Central and Eastern provinces.

Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena appealed to Sri Lankans Tuesday to donate food, blankets and clothing to flood victims.