Sri Lanka shuts schools as floods and mudslides kill 7
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•xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoPeople walk across a mud-covered road following heavy rain in Nawalapitiya, Sri Lanka, on August 4, 2026 [AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublish...
•The heavy downpours struck the country’s mountainous tea-growing region, which is still struggling to recover from the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah.
هذا الخبر من Al Jazeera English. خبر يقدم أدوات ذكاء اصطناعي للتلخيص والترجمة والاستماع.
play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|Climate CrisisSri Lanka shuts schools as floods and mudslides kill 7Torrential rains and flooding have damaged 129 houses and forced the evacuation of nearly 3,500 people, officials say. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoPeople walk across a mud-covered road following heavy rain in Nawalapitiya, Sri Lanka, on August 4, 2026 [AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 4 Aug 20264 Aug 2026Sri Lanka has shut down schools across its central highlands after torrential rains triggered deadly mudslides and flash floods, killing at least seven people and injuring several others. The heavy downpours struck the country’s mountainous tea-growing region, which is still struggling to recover from the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah. The storm killed nearly 640 people and caused an estimated $4.1bn in damage when it struck last November. Pradeep Kodippili, the spokesperson for the government’s Disaster Management Centre, said that five people died after being buried in mudslides that overran two houses in the central region, and two others were killed in floods. Rains and flooding have damaged 129 houses and forced the evacuation of nearly 3,500 people, he said. Authorities have deployed navy and army units to reach residents trapped by the floodwaters, with local broadcaster Hiru TV showing troops wading through submerged streets to rescue stranded families. Sri Lanka’s central region, including the districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, sits on steep terrain long recognised as prone to landslides during the monsoon season, when saturated hillsides give way under sustained rainfall. The country recorded one of its deadliest such episodes in late 2025, when landslides and flooding tied to Cyclone Ditwah killed dozens of people in the same tea-growing belt, prompting nationwide school and office closures at the time as well. The recent disaster underscores how repeated bouts of extreme weather are straining Sri Lanka’s disaster response capacity within the same nine-month window. Authorities have not said when schools in the affected districts will reopen, and officials say the decision will depend on how the weather develops over the coming days. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English:المصدر: Al Jazeera English | Source: Al Jazeera English
ملاحظة تحريرية | Editorial Note: نُشر هذا المقال في الأصل بواسطة Al Jazeera English. خبر (Khabr) هي منصة إعلامية أردنية مرخّصة تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي. نضيف قيمة تحريرية من خلال: تحليل ذكي للأخبار، ملخصات تلقائية، رواية صوتية بالذكاء الاصطناعي، ترجمة متعددة اللغات، وتدقيق الحقائق. هدفنا جعل الأخبار أكثر وضوحاً وسهولةً للقارئ العربي.
This article was originally published by Al Jazeera English. Khabr is a licensed Jordanian AI-powered news platform (Registration #82086). We add editorial value through: AI-powered news analysis, automated summaries, AI audio narration, multi-language translation (Arabic, English, French, Turkish), and AI fact-checking. Our mission is to make news more accessible and understandable for Arabic-speaking audiences worldwide.



