Heavy wind and rains caused by the southwestern monsoon killed five people and left 17 fishermen missing along Sri Lanka's coast today, an official said.
The navy and air force have rescued another 20 fishermen so far, said spokesman Lal Sarath Kumara from the government's disaster management center.
Kumara said fishermen were the worst affected by today's bad weather. Four of the dead were fishermen, while one person was crushed by a fallen tree.
Thirteen other people were injured, he added.
The meteorology department issued a warning of bad weather with strong winds because of the southwest monsoon activating over Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan navy and air force launched a joint operation to rescue the missing fishermen, by deploying three ships and two helicopters.
Published 08 June 2013, 16:58 IST