At least 35 people have been killed and 150 remain missing, following three days of incessant rain in Sri Lanka. More than 200,000 have been affected by flash floods and landslides triggered by the downpour, officials said. Of the 25 administrative districts in the island, 19 were hit by heavy rains, floods and earth slips, PTI reported. “[At least] 47,922 families, or 207,556 people, have been affected,” a spokesperson for the Disaster Management Department, Pradeep Kodippily, said. He added that 176 shelters were set up to provide accommodation for those displaced by the disaster.

At least 200 families are feared buried under debris, after landslides hit three villages in the island country on Tuesday, the Sri Lankan Red Cross said. So far, 16 bodies have been recovered and some 180 others have been rescued, military spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said. The incessant rainfall has felled trees, which has, in turn, blocked roads at a number of places and snapped electricity cables, leading to power cuts.

More than 300 soldiers have been deployed to locate survivors in the villages of Siripura, Pallebage and Elagipitya in Kegalle district, which is around 72 kilometres north of national capital Colombo, Jayaweera said. Rescue efforts were hindered by heavy fog and electricity outages, as well as the instability of the ground, the Associated Press reported.

The downpour caused severe flooding in several cities, including Colombo. Smaller landslides were reported from other parts of the country, and the disaster management centre of Sri Lanka said 11 people were electrocuted. At least eight districts are on alert following landslide warnings. However, the low pressure that caused the heavy rains has now moved towards south India, a Meteorological Department official said.