Heavy rain, floods kill at least 17 in Sri Lanka

Men float along a flooded road during a COVID-19 curfew in Biyagama, near Colombo, Sri Lanka June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Heavy rain has lashed Sri Lanka triggering floods and landslides that have killed at least 17 people and forced tens of thousands from their homes, officials said on Monday.

After days of rain, rivers on the island nation's southern and western plains overflowed on the weekend, inundating low-lying areas and forcing thousands into relief centers