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200 feared dead after mudslide

Locals defy police orders and keep digging

Hundreds of desperate people dug with their bare hands in the village of Koslanda in southern Sri Lanka today, seeking their loved ones buried under a mudslide on Wednesday.

They defied police orders to stop after Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that there was no chance of finding more survivors at the high-altitude tea plantation.

There were conflicting reports of how many people were missing in the slide, which struck Wednesday morning in the central hills after heavy monsoon rains.

Mr Amaraweera said that fewer than 100 people had been killed. But his own Disaster Management Centre reported 190 missing, and locals say more than 200 may be dead.

The search was suspended last night because of further heavy rain.

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