Storm kills 14 Sri Lankan fishermen, more missing

COLOMBO - A sudden storm which lashed parts of Sri Lanka for two days has killed 14 fishermen while 36 others are missing, an official said on Sunday.

Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Sarath Kumara Gunaratne told Xinhua that more than 20 fishermen were also injured after their boats were caught in rough waters on Friday night and early Saturday morning.

He said that the Sri Lankan navy and air force were involved in a search and rescue operation but there are fears more may have been killed at sea.

The Sri Lankan Department of Meteorology on Saturday issued a weather alert telling fishermen not to go out to sea as strong winds created rough sea conditions.

The winds began on Friday night uprooting trees in parts of the capital Colombo as well as on the outskirts,

Transport along some railway lines had been hampered as a result of the bad weather while roads were also blocked on Saturday night as uprooted trees had fallen across them.

The Sri Lankan Department of Meteorology said Sunday that the showery and windy conditions has reduced over the country. However it said showers were still expected at times in several parts of the country during the night.