Colombo, June 3 : Nine people were confirmed dead, nearly 52,000 people were affected, schools closed and a red alert weather warning has been issued with heavy rains and floods over the last 24 hours in several provinces in Sri Lanka.

Due to floods and earth slips, nine people were reported dead over the last 24 hours and more than 13,000 families have been displaced due to heavy rains and floods, the country's Disaster Management Center (DMC) said on Sunday.

Among the deceased were three from the same family -- a 78-year-old man, his 36-year-old daughter and 7-year-old granddaughter at Avissawella in Colombo districts who were carried away by flood water, DMC added.

In the same area, an 11-year-old girl had been buried due to the collapse of an earth embankment. Two others were killed in Galle in the Southern province after they were washed away by the flood.

State Minister of Defence, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, said that 20 deaths have been reported from May 15, since the onset of the South-West monsoon with heavy rains over the Indian Ocean island nation.

Landslide warnings have been issued with the continuous heavy rains over 20 out of 25 districts in several provinces, including the Western, Sabaragamuwa would, North Western and Southern.

With the adverse weather conditions, the Education Ministry on Monday directed a holiday for all the schools around the country.

The expressway to southern Sri Lanka was closed as several entrances and exit points had been inundated. Train operations in many areas came to a standstill as railway lines went underwater and railway signal systems had been damaged.

The Power and Energy Ministry announced that with heavy floods, as a precaution, power supplies had been disconnected in several areas while electricity lines were damaged due to the falling of trees and floods.

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) warned people living near landslide-prone areas to be ready to leave in an emergency while the Irrigation Department has issued flood warning to those living beside rivers. Fishermen have been asked not to set out to sea.

The Meteorology Department which has issued a red alert for heavy showers in several provinces has predicted over 150mm rain falls in the next 24 hours.

Sri Lanka Navy and other military have been deployed with boats for rescue operations to flood-affected areas.

/IANS