Sri Lanka postpones victory day celebration due to bad weather

The Sri Lankan government has decided to indefinitely postpone the victory day celebrations due to be held on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the victory against Tamil Tiger rebels, government officials said Monday.

Lakshman Hullugalle, director general of the Media Center for National Security, told reporters that the celebrations have been postponed owing to the inclement weather conditions and no new date has been set.

The government has closed some roads in the capital to prepare the celebrations.

The announcement came as three people were killed while over 100,000 people were seriously affected by flash floods on Monday in Sri Lanka's Western Province due to torrential rains.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Electricity Board cut the electricity supply in some areas of Colombo after some power substations in Colombo North were flooded.

Gayana Hendawitharana, the Meteorology Department spokesman said Colombo recorded over 150 mm (millimeters) of rain on Monday.

Hendawitharana said due to prevailing pre-monsoon conditions and low level disturbances in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, rain or thundershowers will continue in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Central provinces.

Heavy rain have been experienced in Colombo and other areas of the Western Province since Friday.

Source: Xinhua