Sri Lanka closed government offices and schools Friday (November 28) as the death toll from widespread floods and landslides climbed to 56, with over 600 homes reported damaged, officials said.

The country has been facing severe weather since last week, which intensified Thursday (November 27) with heavy rainfall that submerged homes, farmland, and roads, and triggered landslides nationwide.

At least 25 people were killed Thursday in landslides in the central mountainous tea-growing districts of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, roughly 300 kilometers east of the capital Colombo. In these areas, another 21 people are missing and 14 were injured, according to the government’s disaster management center. Additional fatalities occurred in landslides elsewhere in the country.

As conditions worsened, the government ordered all schools and government offices to remain closed Friday.

Read more: Over 20 killed, 14 missing as intense rainfall sparks landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka

Overflowing rivers and reservoirs have blocked many roads, forcing authorities to suspend passenger train services and close roadways in several regions. Landslides and floodwaters, along with fallen rocks, mud, and trees, disrupted both roads and railway lines.

Local television footage showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people stranded on a flooded rooftop Thursday, while the navy and police used boats to evacuate residents. Another video showed a car swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, killing three passengers.