: At least six persons were killed due to a landslide at Norton Bridge in Hatton of Sri Lanka's hill country, Disaster Management Centre said.

According to the Norton Bridge police the landslide occurred near the police station early this morning due to torrential rains.

Disaster Management Centre said a house in the area had been buried in the landslide.

Dry soil is powdered, sieved and mixed with straw, lime and natural adhesives. It is then pounded into an even mixture manually or by having bullocks tread over the mixture. The damp soil mixture is compressed into blocks and put in between wood planks. The blocks are compacted manually or with machines. When the planks are removed, the wall section remains standing and is allowed to

The two-storey house Futane built is spread over 2,200 sq feet and cost just Rs 3 lakh, that is Rs 137 per sq foot. A similar sized single storey structure in brick and cement mortar would have cost him Rs 8.8 lakh or Rs 400 per sq foot, three times more costly.

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