Sri Lanka Mudslide : Landslide Wiped Out Homes at Koslanda Tea Plantation in Badulla District

Sri Lanka Mudslide : Landslide Wiped Out Homes at Koslanda Tea Plantation in Badulla District 100 buried alive and more feared dead after mudslide on Sri Lankan tea plantation A mudslide triggered by monsoon rains buried scores of workers' houses at a tea plantation in central Sri Lanka, raising fears that hundreds may have been killed. In the chaos that followed Wednesday morning's disaster, there was confusion about the number of dead and missing because government officials reported different figures and later reduced the number of missing by 100 without explanation. The mudslide struck at about 7:30 a.m. and wiped out 120 workers' homes at the Koslanda tea plantation, said Lal Sarath Kumara, an official from the Disaster Management Center. The plantation is in the town of Koslanda in Badulla district about 140 miles east of Colombo. He said at least 10 people were killed and more than 250 reported missing. A 48-year-old truck driver who gave his name only as Raja said he lost all five members of his household -- his wife, two sons, daughter-in-law and his 6-month-old grandchild. "I left for work early morning and got a call asking me to rush back because there is an earth slip near my home. I came back and there is no trace of my home, everyone was buried," he said Thursday morning while weeping. Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera was quoted by media Wednesday as saying that more than 100 people had been killed. But moments later he told The Associated Press that less than 100 people were missing but they could not be counted as dead. By late Wednesday, the Disaster Management Center's official numbers were six dead and 150 missing. Pradeep Kodippili, a senior official at the center, did not explain the changes but said the agency would be able to give the media a clearer picture by Thursday morning. The mudslide scene and eyewitness accounts suggested the disaster was enormous. Mud completely covered many homes while the roofs of some were visible. Water gushing down hillsides indicated more slides were possible.Scores of children who had left for school early morning returned only to see their homes vanished without a trace along with their parents.The military mobilized troops to help with the rescue operation as rain continued to fall in the island nation's central hills. State broadcaster Rupavahini showed huge mounds of earth covering the houses and muddy water still gushing from the hilltops. About 500 military personnel and civilians searched for survivors with the help of heavy earthmoving equipment. The search was later called off for the night because of rain and muddy conditions, military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayawerera said. Most of Sri Lanka had experienced heavy rain over the past few weeks, and the Disaster Management Center had issued warnings of mudslides and falling rocks. The monsoon season in the Indian Ocean island nation runs from October through December. Sri Lanka Mudslide: No Hope of Finding Survivors, Official Says Sri Lanka: 100 buried alive in tea region mudslide Sri Lanka says no hope finding mudslide survivors Desperate hunt for Sri Lanka landslide victims Hundreds feared buried after Sri Lanka mudslide Sri Lanka Landslide: 150 Houses Buried, Death Toll Crosses 100 Sri Lanka says no hope finding mudslide survivors Heavy diggers join hunt for Sri Lanka mudslide victims India Offers Help to Sri Lanka to Help Landslide Victims Hunt for Sri Lanka mudslide victims Sri Lanka mudslide kills at least 10, but hundreds feared dead Hundreds missing after mudslide sweeps through tea plantation in Sri Lanka Scores feared dead in Sri Lanka landslide 100 buried alive and more feared dead after mudslide on Sri Lankan tea plantation Sri Lanka mudslide: Officials say no hope of finding survivors Sri Lanka Mudslide: 'Over 100' Dead as Survivor Claims 'All I Could See Was Mud' Sri Lanka Mudslide,Landslide, Koslanda Tea Plantation,Koslanda, Tea Plantation in Badulla,Badulla,Sri Lanka,news,Sri Lanka landslide,Sri Lanka mudslide victims,live news,sri lanka news,world news,video