Sri Lanka - floods

Thousands homeless, roads under six feet of water

Article published on the 2009-11-19 Latest update 2009-11-19 15:36 TU

A police officer walks past a mural during rainstorms in Colombo
(Photo: Reuters)

Close to 60,000 people are homeless in Colombo and its suburbs after flash floods on Wednesday.

Officials say the 58,000 people are currently being housed in public buildings after thousands of homes were flooded. There are no reports of any casualties.

On Thursday water levels were receding but people are still waiting for their homes to be cleaned or repaired.

Storm systems had failed to cope with rains on Wednesday and some roads were six feet under water, although they began to clear on Thursday. The rain on Wednesday was the highest in two years with 27 centimetres of rain.

The months from December to February constitute one of the island's two monsoon seasons.