Kodippili confirmed that 153 people had been killed.

Among them were 11 residents of an elder care home that was flooded in the north-central district of Kurunegala on Saturday afternoon, police said.

Troops from the army, navy, and air force have been deployed alongside civilian workers and volunteers to assist with the relief effort.

The military rescued 69 bus passengers on Saturday, including a German tourist, who had been stranded in the Anuradhapura district after a 24-hour operation.

One of the passengers, speaking from the hospital, described how navy sailors helped them climb onto the roof of a nearby house after using ropes to guide them safely through the floodwaters.

“We were very lucky... while we were on the roof, part of it collapsed... three women fell into the water, but they were helped back onto the roof,” said W. M. Shantha.

A helicopter had to abort an initial rescue attempt because the downdraft from its rotors threatened to blow away the roof they were perched on. They were later rescued by naval boats.

Roads in the central district of Badulla remained inaccessible, leaving many villages cut off and relief supplies unable to get through.

“We lost two people in our village... others are sheltering in a temple and a house that is still standing,” said Saman Kumara from the Badulla village of Maspanna, one of the worst-hit districts.

“We can’t leave the village, and no one can come in because all roads are blocked by landslides. There is no food, and we are running out of clean water,” he told News Center website by telephone.