Monsoon rains kill 91 in Sri Lanka (Updated)

COLOMBO: Heavy monsoon rains in Sri Lanka triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 91 people Friday and left another 110 missing, authorities said.
"The toll has gone up as we started getting reports from areas which were inaccessible earlier," a Disaster Management Centre (DMC) official told reporters in Colombo as he disclosed the figures.
Nearly 8,000 people were driven out of their homes in the southwestern region of Kalutara, one of the worst affected, according to the DMC.
The rains were the most destructive this year.
In May 2016 more than a hundred people were killed when rivers burst their banks and flooded low-lying areas of the capital Colombo.
The government has warned residents along the banks of the Kelani, which flows to the Indian Ocean through Colombo, to remain vigilant as water levels continue to rise.
Aside from the destruction, this week's rains also filled the reservoirs used for hydro power.
These had hit rock bottom, raising concerns of power shortage in June.
Officials said most reservoirs had reached spill level. — AFP