Hundreds of people are feared dead in central Sri Lanka, after days of heavy rain triggered landslides.

Three villages were buried in the district of Kegalle, 100 kilometers northeast of the capital Colombo. Rescuers found 37 bodies, but many more people are believed to be trapped under the mud. President Maithripala Sirisena visited survivors in a Buddhist temple being used as a temporary refuge.

A Red Cross official said it was feared the death toll could be "around 300-400". Torrential downpours have forced more than 220 thousand people from their homes across the country. Flooding and droughts are common in Sri Lanka, which is battered by a southern monsoon between May and September.