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16 people missing as landslide hits Sri Lankan village

Sri Lankan residents walk past a damaged building at the site of a landslide caused by heavy monsoon rains in Koslanda village in central Sri Lanka on October 29, 2014. Mudslides triggered by monsoon rains swept through a tea-growing region of Sri Lanka October 29, killing at least 16 people and leaving about 300 more feared missing, disaster officials said. AFP PHOTO/ Ishara S. KODIKARA

Sri Lankan residents walk past a damaged building at the site of a landslide caused by heavy monsoon rains in Koslanda village in central Sri Lanka on October 29, 2014. Mudslides triggered by monsoon rains swept through a tea-growing region of Sri Lanka October 29, killing at least 16 people and leaving about 300 more feared missing, disaster officials said. AFP PHOTO/ Ishara S. KODIKARA

Colombo:At least 16 people were missing when a landslide struck a village in Bulathkohupitiya, around 72 km from Sri Lankan capital, in the early hours of Wednesday, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.

Rescue and medical teams had rushed to the site to conduct an immediate rescue operation but efforts were being hampered due to extreme weather conditions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The DMC said that six rows of houses had been damaged, some completely buried under the debris.

Wednesday’s landslide is the third to be reported since heavy rains and strong winds began across the country on Saturday evening.

Rini Methew
the authorRini Methew