When everyone was boarding the canoe, I told them, there were too many people and not to fidget. When they went to the middle of the lake they began splashing water at each other. The young man who operated the canoe, K. G. Lahiru said.
The Sooriyawewa Police said that three granddaughters who had come from Kurunegala together with their relatives to attend the three-months alms giving of their grandfather who had died by drowning at a branch of Mahawelikadaara wewa on the same day, Sooriyawewa had gone on boating on the lake and died at noon when the canoe capsized on Saturday (12).
Lahiru, a resident of Mahawelikadaara, Sooriyawewa who operated the canoe, had this to say about the incident: Initially I went in the canoe with six people. At that time, the mothers shouted saying do not go too far. Because of that I did not take the canoe too far out and brought back the six people soon to the land. Podi Nangi went first and returned. “When I returned to land the other girls said they also wanted to go on the canoe. Then everyone climbed into the canoe for a second trip. I told them not to get in since it was too heavy for the canoe. But they pleaded asking me to take them out on the lake once more. I told them not to move about inside the canoe and not to put weight on to the outrigger side. They stayed in one place until we reached the middle of the lake.
Then they started scooping water with their hands and splashing each other. Then the canoe started rocking all of a sudden. When I turned the canoe instantly to return to land, the group slid to one side and the canoe capsized. Everyone in the canoe fell into the water. I saw a sister in the water going down and coming up with an infant in her hands. At that moment I caught the infant. My sister climbed on to the capsized canoe as she surfaced. I rescued them in any way I could. By then it was hard for me too”. “Then a group came and helped me, my sister and the infant into that canoe. I could not believe this. I am unable to bear the fact that I lost three sisters in front of my eyes.
Dilip Senadheera, the father of the 10-year-old girl, Tharushi Mihirangi Senadheera who drowned said in tears said: If these children had just even told me they were going towards the lake, I would never have gone to sleep. Before doing so, I told my son not to go anywhere. They said, father we are going down to pick guavas only. This disaster happened when these children who said this went boating on the lake. I cannot bear this.
“We left Kurunegala at about 4 in the evening on November 11 to come to Sooriyawewa. It was about 2.30 am the next day when we reached Sooriyawewa. We slept, got up in the morning and attended to the work of the alms giving. The child went for classes in the afternoon and got into the vehicle when we said we were going for her grandfather’s alms giving, without even having a meal. On the way she asked, can we eat rice? When we arrived at the house where the alms giving was being held, I told her over and over again not to go anywhere. It was only after that, that I went to have a nap. When we come here, the children go to this lake. Who knew that such a thing would happen to my child? The father said, crying.
Those who drowned are residents of Malambe Colony, Pihimbuwa, Kurunegala. 10-year-old Tharushi Mihirangi Senadheera was studying at Ogodapola Junior School, Basnayake Mudiyanselage Vishmi Hansika, studying at Kurunegala Gonigoda Central College, who was to have sat for the GCE O Level Examination this time and 18-year-old Dilakshi Madushika Herath
studying for her GCE A Level examination in the Bio stream, at Ibbagamuwa Maha Vidyalaya in Kurunegala.
The alms giving on behalf of their grandfather who had drowned three months ago at Mahawelikadaara, Sooriyawewawas to be held on November 13. The three deceased students and a group of relatives had arrived at Mahawelikadaara, Sooriyawewa to attend this event. This group had slept at relatives houses until dawn and awakened in the morning and helped with the
alms giving work. During this time, the group that came from Kurunegala had gone to the Mahawelikadaara tank with a cousin to go boating. Initially, only four had gone in the canoe. Then four others had arrived. Then all eight had crammed into the canoe and gone to the middle of the lake. A 08-month-old infant had also been taken on the canoe. All eight had travelled in a small canoe used for fishing and they had been taking selfies and using their hands to move the
canoe forward at a high speed and reached the middle of the lake. The person who steered the canoe had saved the infant as well as the lives of three others while swimming. When neighbours saw this, they had got another canoe and gone to help him and rescued five of them. However,three persons who had been on the canoe had disappeared in the water. Although a search which lasted for several hours was carried out together with the villagers for the girls who were missing, they were unable to locate them. Later, when the Sooriyawewa Police heard about this incident, they had arrived with a life saving team and launched investigations. Based on information given by the Sooriyawewa Police, a team of divers from Kirinde Navy detachment had searched the bottom of the lake and found the body of the 10-year-old girl at about 4.30 pm. With torrential rain being experienced in Sooriyawewa it was not possible to search for the other missing girls. The search for the other two bodies was abandoned as a result of the inclement weather. It was recommenced on the morning of 13 and the divers together with villagers were able to recover the bodies of the other two girls.
