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updates 9 pm27 dead .... 29 missing
President calls for report against authorities who did not issue prior warning of inclement weather
The number dead has gone up to 27 as a result of disasters which took place in the wake of inclement weather conditions which was active yesterday and today. The The Disaster Management Centre has informed that those missing are 29 while those injured are 35 in number.
The fisher-folk community staged a protest today saying that authorities of the Meteorological Department are responsible for not announcing in the face of this unexpected trouble.
101 houses have been completely destroyed while 2185 houses were partially damaged. The Disaster Management Centre reports that 107 individuals from 24 families are stationed in 5 relief camps. It is also reported that 1356 persons of 41 families are so far destitute because of the strong winds and heavy rain. These people have faced such conditions because of strong winds and heavy
rains in Colombo and Kalutara districts, because of strong winds in Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Puttalam and Ratnapura districts, strong winds and heavy rains in Kotmale in the Kandy districts and in the Provincial Secretariat Division and the Kandy District, also due to landslides and collapsing of banks. In the meantime, it is reported that the President has issued instructions requesting for a complete report from the Minister of Disaster Management as to whether a warning about the inclement weather was notified to the public and the fishing community in time. The President has given instructions to include information about the prevailing and future weather conditions as well in the report.
As Minister of Disaster Management Mr.Mahinda Amaraweera says that he is prepared to admit if at all any shortcomings has occured in the Met. Dept. "The Met. Dept. says that they informed us .... that information was conveyed to some extent ... but we don't see a proper explanation in this respect. This morning the President too discussed with me as to how we could find out about this situation. I gave him a pledge. We will be calling for an explanation from the Met. Dept. within a short period such as 2 days about the announcement they have made. If after receiving the report we find that a shortcoming or lapse has occured on their part, I as Minister am prepared to accept it most humbly. If some mistake has been committed, we shall mete out the relevant punishment".
In the meantime, the Sri Lanka Navy has launched an aircraft, the type of Beachcraft this morning in order to trace the missing fishermen. The Navy said that all information in the sea would be collected by that aircraft.
The Navy has rescued 18 fishermen who had been subjected to calamity in the sea. The Navy has rescued this morning a fisherman who had been missing in a fishing-boat which left from Beruwala. By this time they had been brought to the Colombo port. The Navy mentioned that 4 ships and 10 Dora vessels are searching for the missing fishermen.
In the process, 5 dead bodies of the missing fishermen had been found early this morning from Wattala, Angulana, Galle and Colombo areas. The police media spokesman said that 1 dead body was found washed ashore close to the beach at Angulana railway station while the other dead body was found washed ashore at the Wattala Preethipura beach.
The Navy said that 2 dead bodies were found floating in Colombo area while another was found in Galle area.
