Desperate Sri Lankans clambered onto rubber dinghies and makeshift rafts to escape monster floods in the capital Colombo as officials said half a million people had fled their homes across the island.
The heaviest rains in a quarter of a century have pounded Sri Lanka since last weekend, triggering huge landslides that have buried some victims in up to 50 feet (15 metres) of mud.
More than 60 people known to have died so far amid fears that number could spike with many more reported missing.
President Maithripala Sirisena urged people to provide shelter and donate cash or food as offers of assistance came in from overseas.
"We have already got some assistance from our friends in the international community," he said in a televised address.
"Now I want to ask private individuals, companies and non-governmental organisations to help in anyway you can to help the victims."
The national Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 21 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts had been affected. Around 300,000 people had been moved to safe shelters while a further 200,000 were staying with friends or family.
"Our information is that about half a million people have been driven out of their homes," Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told reporters.
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