Floods affect thousands in Sri Lanka

Over 35,000 people have been affected by unseasonal floods in Sri Lanka, an official said here Friday. Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center has housed around 7,500 people displaced by the floods in 43 temporary camps in the northern, central and eastern regions of the country. The worst affected area in the country is Kilinochchi town, about 328 km from capital Colombo, which was once the heartland of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) during their three decade fight for a separate homeland. "Approximately 15,499 people have been affected by floods in Kilinochchi while 6,395 people are housed in camps,"Disaster Management Center Assistant Director Pradeep Kodippili told Xinhua. One death was reported in Mullaitivu district where 12,095 people have been affected. The rice harvest is feared to be affected as over 35 tanks have opened sluice gates flooding over 300 acres of paddy land. Meteorological department officials have predicted that the rains will continue into next week.