Singapore said on Monday (May 23) that it will contribute US$100,000 (S$137,868) in support of immediate relief efforts in Sri Lanka where hundreds of thousands of people were forced into shelters after major floods hit the island.

"The Singapore Government extends its condolences to the government and people of Sri Lanka over the loss of lives and unprecedented destruction caused by the floods and landslides over the past week,'' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"Singapore stands by Sri Lanka during this difficult period. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has also written to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera to convey his condolences."

The ministry said the funds will be channelled through the Singapore Red Cross (SRC).

In a separate statement on Monday, the SRC said the government contribution is part of US$150,000 in humanitarian aid that it will send to survivors of Cyclone Roanu in Sri Lanka.

The SRC "will distribute US$150,000 worth of relief items such as food, non-food relief items such as household and health kits and clothes to communities affected by Cyclone Roanu, that had left a trail of destruction in Sri Lanka. These items will address the most urgent needs,'' said the statement.

A SRC team is also on standby to be deployed for relief work in the affected communities, it said.

According to media reports, floodwater was receding in the capital Colombo after the heaviest rain in 25 years pounded the country since last weekend, triggering landslides that buried victims in tonnes of mud.

Eighty-four people are known to have died across the island, amid fears that the number could rise, with 116 people still listed as missing, the Disaster Management Centre said in an update.

(The Straits Times)