15 dead, 900,000 displaced by floods in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO - Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have left 15 people dead and displaced 900,000 as relief workers backed by the military are helping the displaced, officials said Tuesday.

Three days of heavy rains in the eastern, central and northcentral parts of the country damaged more than 80,000 hectares of agricultural land, mostly paddy.

The Disaster Management Centre said that among the dead were seven people who were buried in a landslide in Kandy in the centre of the country while the other deaths were due to floods.

Over 125,000 people were being sheltered in temporary camps while most of the displaced have moved into schools, temples and churches.