Aranayaka – Maj.-Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe, the officer in charge of Sri Lanka Rescue Operation, said hope had faded on the survival of about 150 people trapped under the mud and rubbles of two landslides in the country.
Ranasinghe said on Thursday in Aranayaka (Sri Lanka), that military officials used hoes and shovels to shift mud as they scrambled in the hilly terrain to find survivors amid heavy rain that made walking difficult.
He said only 18 bodies had been rescued at the landslide sites, days after the torrential rains had forced more than 300,000 people from their homes across the country.
“I don’t think there will be any survivors.There are places where the mud level is up to 30 feet. We will do our best. We will keep going until we can recover the maximum,’’ he said.
Materials from destroyed homes littered the area, where dog cages, water tanks, and a three-wheeler were swathed in mud. (dpa/NAN)