Rains continue, 120,000 displaced

At least 120,000 persons have been rendered homeless as torrential rains accompanied by gale-force winds continued to lash several parts of the country over the weekend with officials predicting more rain with the onset of the South West monsoon.

The two worst affected areas were the districts of Gampaha and Puttalam where an estimated 100,000 people had been forced to leave their homes and move into make-shift shelters set up in public schools, places of worship and other state buildings, the Disaster Management Centre’s National Coordinator Keerthi Ekanayake said.