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Floods in southern Sri Lanka have killed at least 300 people since they began last weekend and the government appealed to the international communities to help flood victims who are suffering from the country's worst flood in more than five decades.
"According to information I have, at least 300 people have died and this is not a final figure, it could be more," Rehabilitation Minister Jayalath Jayawardene said on Tuesday.
He urged the international community to help the flood victims with bottled water, shelter material, clothes and medicine.
Norway has contributed 1 million US dollars in relief aid and the United States pledged 50,000 dollars in emergency aid to Sri Lanka.
India sent a ship with a rescue helicopter, a team of doctors, divers and medicine and food on Monday.
A planeload of relief materials from India arrived at the Colombo International Airport on Tuesday afternoon and another aircraft carrying relief supplies is due to arrive later on the day.
The government has also appealed to the UN to coordinate an international effort for relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
Sri Lankan parliament went into a recess Tuesday as the authorities grappled with the problem of loss of lives and massive displacement of people in the worst flooding seen in the country for over 50 years.
A parliamentary official said the party leaders decided to curtail the session scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday to half an hour as most of the 225 MPs are away attending to flood relief activities in southeast and southern provinces.
"The party leaders decided to cancel the sessions scheduled for Thursday and Friday and as a result the parliament would meet again on June 3," the parliamentary official added.
The red cross officials said an estimated 171,000 families accounting for some 600,000 people are believed to have been displaced.
Ratnapura, 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Colombo, is the worst hit district.
Although the flood levels are now receding, the health officials are faced with the problem of providing the survivors with clean drinking water.
Sri Lankan airforce helicopters have been deployed to drop water bottles and food parcels at villages which cannot be reached by boats.
The displaced are now housed in schools and temples. Landslides have buried alive many of the victims, the relief officials said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2003)
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