Alwaght- The death toll from the collapse of a garbage mountain in Sri Lanka's capital rose to 22 on Sunday, with many still remaining unaccounted for.
Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe, who is heading the rescue efforts, said authorities were struggling to determine exactly how many people were trapped under the debris due to a lack of information from the residents.
Some 80 homes were destroyed and near 150 were damaged in Sri Lanka’s capital when 91-metre high rubbish dump crashed on them.
Associated Press cited Lawyer and activist Nuwan Bopage, who had worked with local residents in their protests to have the garbage dump removed, as saying that about 20 people were buried under the debris.
Military personnel were still searching the site in Meetotamulla, a town outside Colombo, the capital, and speaking to survivors to determine how many were missing.
The tragedy occurred Friday evening as people were celebrating the local new year.
A resident who identified himself only as Sanjaya said that he and others were searching for three neighbors — an elderly man, his daughter and granddaughter — who were buried under the collapse.
Twelve people who were injured in the disaster remained in the hospital.
Police said 625 people were given temporary shelter at a government-run school in the area as authorities looked for alternative accommodation for those living near the dump.
Many residents had evacuated their homes before the disaster because of the heavy rain.
About 800 tons of solid waste is added daily to the open dump, angering residents who live nearby.
Sri Lanka’s parliament was warned recently that the 23 million tons of garbage rotting at Kolonnawa was a serious health hazard.
Efforts are under way to build an electricity plant that could transform the solid waste into fuel.
