Overview

• At least 12 people, including six children, have died due to severe flooding caused by heavy rains in Sri Lanka over the past two days.
• More than 335,000 people have been displaced, with many seeking shelter in public buildings after their homes were inundated or destroyed.
• Authorities are still searching for two men and two children swept away in a tractor accident caused by flash floods in the eastern region of the country.
• The storm, originating as a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to intensify and reach the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coastlines in India by Saturday morning.
• Sri Lankan military and rescue teams have been deployed to assist with relief efforts as experts highlight the increasing frequency of extreme weather events linked to climate change.