15 killed in Sri Lanka floods

At least people 15 have been killed and more than 120,000 displaced in flash floods and landslides caused by incessant rains in Sri Lanka during the week, officials said today.

Most of the deaths took place in Galle, a coastal city 70 miles south of the capital Colombo, the disaster management centre said in a statement.

Two victims were swept away by flash floods, two were electrocuted and three others died in landslides. There were no details about the other deaths.

Downpours on Thursday and Friday flooded the streets of Colombo, and residents waded through waist-high water amid huge traffic jams.

Sri Lanka is a tropical island nation off the southern Indian coast.