Rain, flooding toll in S Lanka rises to 14

COLOMBO, Oct 29 (Reuters) Heavy monsoon rains and floods have killed 14 people, including an infant, in Sri Lanka over the past three days and left thousands of people homeless, the top disaster management official said today.

The downpours have affected 55,000 families across a wide swathe of southern, western and central Sri Lanka and cut off roads in several districts and caused landslides.

The floods also halted train links in southern parts of the island, newspapers reported.

Airlines reported flight delays as cabin crew members were delayed in reaching the airport, which is far from the city, The Sunday Times reported.

Sri Lanka's monsoon season runs from September to December.

REUTERS SP VV1141