Severe weather kills 14 in Sri Lanka

 Floods and landslides following heavy rain which lashed parts of Sri Lanka killed 14 people on Monday, the Disaster Management Center said.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said that most of those killed were from the southern township of Kalutara where heavy flooding was reported after overnight rain.
Additional District Secretary in Kalutara Sirisoma Lokuwithana said that 12 people had been confirmed dead in Kalutara.
The Sri Lanka navy meanwhile said it had deployed navy boats to assist the people affected by floods in Kalutara and the surrounding areas.
Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasooriya told Xinhua that naval personnel are engaged in evacuation of people from trapped homes and buildings, ferrying people to safe places.
The navy is monitoring the flood situation and 16 additional rescue teams are stand-by in the southern and western naval areas for emergency deployments.
The air force has also been deployed to assist the affected people. The Sri Lankan Department of Meteorology meanwhile warned of rough seas due to the active cloudiness in the western sea area.
The Disaster Management Ministry meanwhile said that the government is taking measures to provide immediate relief to the families affected by the severe weather.