Sri Lanka tea workers struggle in poverty, flooding cost many their lives

CRAIGHEAD ESTATE, Sri Lanka — Arumugam Manikavalli, awakened by ferocious rain and rumbling earth, fled her home for the safety of a nearby temple on the tea estate where she works. That same November evening, tea worker Kumaran Elumugam’s small home was crushed by a landslide, killing six family members. He survived only because he was away, at work, along with a daughter. “My wife, son-in-law, daughter, mother-in-law, two grandsons are all dead,” Elumugam lamented. “The small one (granddaughter) is still under the mud.” Elumugum and Manikavalli were among the fortunate to reach safety as heavy rains from Cyclone Ditwah led to floods and landslides across the South Asian island nation, killing more than 640 people and leaving more than a hundred missing. Multiple villages were submerged by landslides that left behind rubble of cement, wood and roofing. In one area, the wreckage was dotted with clothing, schoolbooks, toys and a sports trophy. Among the hardest hit were the hilly regions in the island’s center and the tea plantation workers who live there. Many occupied primitiv

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