Colombo, Jun 9 (IANS): At least 14 fishermen were killed while 36 others went missing after a storm lashed several parts of Sri Lanka for two days, a minister said Sunday.
More than 20 fishermen were also injured when their boats were caught in rough waters Friday night and early Saturday, Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Sarath Kumara Gunaratne told Xinhua.
He said the navy and air force were involved in a search and rescue operation but there were fears many more have been killed at sea.
The department of meteorology had Saturday issued a weather alert telling fishermen not to go out to sea.
The winds uprooted trees in the capital Colombo while transport along some railway lines was hampered as a result of bad weather.