People didn’t listen to evacuation call; now, not enough boats to rescue them – T.B. Sarath

People refused to evacuate to safety despite being forewarned about the present natural disaster, said deputy minister T.B. Sarath.

Referring to the situation in Polonnaruwa, he also cited no past experience of this nature.

More than 15,000 are homeless there, with around 4,000 houses damaged.

Sarath added that sufficient boats are not available for deployment in rescue efforts.