COLOMBO, Sept. 21 -- One person has died and 1,616 people from 458 families have been affected by persistent heavy rainfall across Sri Lanka, with landslides, flooding and strong winds reported in several areas.

The Disaster Management Centre said 88 houses had been partially damaged, while 94 people had been relocated to temporary shelters.

The Department of Meteorology said a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea, northeast of Sri Lanka, is expected to intensify into a depression within the next 24 hours. Although the system is not expected to directly affect Sri Lanka, associated wind patterns are expected to maintain rainy conditions, particularly in the southwestern regions.

Showers or thundershowers are expected in the Western, ...