Eight people including 6 children missing as heavy rains trigger flooding in Sri Lanka

Eight people, including six children who were returning from school, have gone missing in Sri Lanka when the farm tractor they were traveling on was swept away by floods triggered by heavy rains, police said Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has experienced heavy downpours and strong winds over the past two days that have flooded homes, fields and roads and forced authorities to suspend train services in tea-growing mountain areas.

In the worst incident, a farm tractor carrying 11 school children was swept away Tuesday evening in the eastern region of the country, police said.

Five children were rescued while six other children along with the driver and another adult are still missing in the incident near the town of Karaitivu. A search operation is underway, police said in a statement.

Separately, a woman died when a brick wall collapsed on her in the mountainous region of Badulla in the central part of the country. Eight people were injured in various other weather-related incidents, the Disaster Management Center said.

As of Wednesday, over 3,000 people had been moved to evacuation centers and nearly 600 homes were damaged,

Army and navy troops were deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials to those affected.

The Meteorology Department attributed the severe weather to a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal and warned it is likely to move closer to Sri Lanka and intensify into a cyclonic storm on Thursday.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with severe weather since May, mostly caused by heavy monsoon rains. In June, 16 people died due to floods and mudslides.

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PHOTOS of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma and top Appointees of his Government at an inspection of various ongoing projects by the State Government in Owerri and Orlu towns of the State.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the various projects inspected include: The Control Post Flyover in Owerri, the Regional Government House Orlu as well as various ongoing roads in Orlu metropolis.

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The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has announced that President Bola Tinubu will release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

This was made known during the 13th memorial anniversary of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in Owerri on Tuesday.

Ambassador Ojukwu emphasized that President Tinubu recognized the significance of Kanu’s release, which would help unveil criminal elements exploiting IPOB to instigate chaos in the Southeast.

“President Tinubu understands the importance of Kanu’s release. It will expose the masqueraders behind the violence and help restore order. I will do whatever it takes to ensure His Excellency grants this request.

“The release of Nnamdi Kanu is essential to distinguishing genuine freedom fighters from criminals causing mayhem in the Southeast,” Ojukwu stated.

She pointed out that the Igbo people were not known for harming their own and urged for collective efforts to reclaim the region from criminality and insecurity.

The ambassador also condemned the violent “sit-at-home” orders imposed in the Southeast, noting that they contradict the principles of self-determination and have hindered economic activities in the area.

“Ndigbo are enterprising and their brother’s keepers. We must reclaim our land and continue to promote the ideals for which Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu stood,” she said.

Ekwutosblog recalls that Nnamdi Kanu has been in custody since he was repatriated from Kenya.