Sri Lanka: Several dead as storm causes floods, landslides

At least 12 people have been killed due to flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka, authorities said on Thursday.

Rescue teams said they had recovered the bodies of four children who were swept away by the floodwaters while they were riding on a tractor in the town of Eravur on the east coast.

Others remain missing after torrential rains, flash floods and landslides caused devastation in eastern and central parts of the South Asian country.

The powerful but slow-moving storm, which is now heading toward India, has forced more than 250,000 people in Sri Lanka to flee their homes, according to the island nation's Disaster Management Center.

Storm to reach India by Saturday

The India Meteorological Department said there was a "possibility" that the "deep depression" over the southwest Bay of Bengal could develop into a cyclonic storm.

India meteorologists said the storm was expected to hit the southern state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry on Saturday with winds "gusting up to 70 km/h (43 mph)."

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has asked the army to help in relief operations.

Officials said search teams were still looking for two missing children and two men, who were also swept away by flash floods while on tractor and trailer.

Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia, but experts say climate change is causing the extreme weather to be more frequent as well as more severe.

jsi/zc (AFP, dpa)