Desperate Sri Lankans clambered onto rubber dinghies and makeshift rafts on Friday to flee their homes in the flooded 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 the island since last weekend, sparking huge landslides that have buried victims in up to 15 meters of mud.

Officials have urged those living in affected areas to leave immediately, with more than 60 people known to have died so far and fears that number could spike with many more reported missing.