Huge landslides triggered by monsoon rains have engulfed a tea-growing village east of the Sri Lanka capital Colombo, killing at least 100 people and leaving many others missing, feared dead.
"Police, security personnel and local volunteers were involved in a major operation to search for survivors at the Meeriyabedda tea plantation, which lies close to a spot famous for its waterfalls in the Koslanda region.
"We have reports of 140 houses getting washed away," said Sarath Kumara, a spokesman for Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Soldiers tried desperately to find survivors, but damaged roads made it difficult to bring in heavy machinery to clear debris.
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