Floods and storms leave 9 dead and 5,000 displaced in Sri Lanka - 13 inches of rain in 24 hours

At least 9 people have died and around 5,000 displaced in Sri Lanka after a period of heavy rain and storms which have caused flooding, landslides and wind damage.

According to Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 4 people have died in floods in the district of Kalutara, 2 in Galle and 2 in Rathnapura. One person died after strong winds downed trees in Kegalle district.

DMC said that a total of 5,834 people from 1,318 families are currently displaced and staying in 21 temporary relocation centers in the districts of Colombo (5,654 people), Kalutara (58) and Nuwara Eliya (122).

Around 1,700 homes and buildings have been severely damaged, with around 35 totally destroyed.