COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - At least four people were killed and more than 71,000 displaced by floods caused by heavy rains in northern Sri Lanka.
According to the Disaster Management Centre, the northern Jaffna peninsula and Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts were inundated and nearly 6,000 houses destroyed by persistent rain over the past few days.
Hundreds of thousands of people had already been displaced by fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels and were living in temporary huts in the region.
Disaster officials say the government plans to send emergency aid and shelter materials.
Aid agencies were evicted from the rebel-held territory in September by the government, which said it could not guarantee their security amid the fighting.
