SHOCKING footage shows gushes of water wreaking havoc on a sun-soaked Asian island hit with floods.
Deluge and landslides triggered by heavy rain killed at least 47 people and injured 10 across Sri Lanka.
Footage captured by the residents of the tiny island nation shows flood waters taking over entire towns and cities.
Cars were seen submerged under water, and trees uprooted.
Footage also showed a car being swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, about 256 miles east of Colombo, leaving three passengers dead.
One clip showed a strong torrent of water flowing out of what appears to be a dam, likely because the reservoir overflowed.
Sri Lanka began grappling with severe weather last week, made worse by downpours over the weekend that wreaked havoc by flooding homes, fields and roads.
Reservoirs and rivers have overflowed, blocking roads.
Some key roads connecting the provinces have been closed, officials said.
More than 425 homes were damaged in mudslides, with nearly 1,800 families moved to temporary shelters.
Authorities reported that at least 47 people were killed because of the flooding and landslides, and warned that the death toll could go up.
More than 100 millimetres of rainfall was expected across Sri Lanka, with some areas in the northeast forecast to be deluged with 250 millimetres of rain on Thursday.
Most of the deaths occurred in the central tea-growing district of Badulla, where 21 people were buried alive when mountain slopes crashed onto their homes overnight, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Another four were killed similarly in the adjoining Nuwara Eliya district.
The remaining fatalities were reported elsewhere.
Authorities stopped trains in some areas in the mountainous region after rocks, mud and trees fell onto railway tracks.
Local television reports showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people stranded on the roof of a house marooned by floods, while navy and police used boats to transport residents.
This week’s weather-related toll is the highest since June last year, when 26 people were killed following heavy rains.
The DMC said river levels were rising across Sri Lanka and warned residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the northeast monsoon season, but rain has intensified due to a depression east of the island.
The government suspended final year school examinations nationwide for two days because of the weather.
The country’s parliament suspended a budget debate so that legislators could return to their constituencies to deal with the damage.
In December, 17 people were killed by flooding and landslides.
The worst flooding this century was in June 2003, when 254 people were killed.
Sri Lanka depends on seasonal monsoon rain for irrigation and hydroelectricity, but experts have warned that the country is facing more frequent floods in recent years.
