Many die in Sri Lanka storms 10 June 2013 Last updated at 10:34 Helicopters were used in the rescue efforts At least 31 people are now known to have died in severe storms which hit western Sri Lanka over the weekend. There are fears that the death toll could mount with at least 29 injured and 31 missing, officials say. A minister said most victims were fishermen operating near the coastline in very small boats. An inquiry has been launched into whether the meteorology department did enough to warn fishermen on Friday of the dangers of going out to sea. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says that fishing communities from the capital southwards are mourning their loss as navy servicemen continue to find the bodies of those who drowned during ferocious storms on Friday night and Saturday. Dramatic footage showed exhausted survivors being carried ashore. The rain and winds destroyed more than 100 houses and damaged another 2,185 buildings, disaster management spokesman Sarath Lal Kumara is quoted as saying by the Agence France-Presse news agency. Some fishing communities say the meteorology department did not provide sufficient warning of the storms and Sri Lanka's minister of disaster management says weather officials may be disciplined if the findings go against them. There has been no comment as yet from the meteorological office.