UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF NETHMINI

Daughter dies with lamp post falling on head in front of father

     A 15 year old schoolgirl walking along the road had died as a result of a lamp post entangled with wires falling on her body.

     It is reported that this incident had taken place when the girl was coming home with her sister studying in the same school and a school teacher while the father of the girls had been coming in a three-wheeler to escort them home. The accident had occured right in the presence of the father. When the vehicle was turning towards a by-lane from the main road, it had encountered a high-roof lorry travelling along the same lane which tried to leave enough room for the three-wheeler to pass. In the process a lamp post with wires had got entangled with wires had got dragged by the lorry thus collapsing on the schoolgirl who was close to the three-wheeler.

     The father then took his daughter in the same three-wheeler to the Training Hospital in Gampola. But by that time the girl had died.

     Eye-witnesses say that it was strange that since the distance between the girl and the other two who were travelling with her was even less than a foot, how they escaped.

     People in the area complain that accidents of this nature are bound to occur because electric wires are drawn at such a low level while the lamp posts are not strong enough. The deceased Kiripitige Divyanjali Vinodha Nethmini is a schoolgirl aged 14 years resident in Galpaya, Thelihunna Janapadaya studying in Grade 10 in Kurunduwatta Royal College in Nawalapitiya. After the death of Nethmini, her sister and the teacher, not to mention the girls' father are now in a deep shock.

     It was the custom of the father to take the daughters to school in the morning and bring them back in the same three-wheeler. However, on this particular day the father has had to take a patient to hospital. Therefore, as the three-wheeler coming to transport them home had got delayed, the girls were asked to walk home and the father was later on his way to pick them up and was driving the vehicle in their direction.

     Kurunduwatta Police who made inquiries in this connection took the lorry driver and the lorry into custody and produced the driver before the Gampola Magistrate. Inquest into the girl's death was held yesterday.

Report -- Suranga Dilhan and A.Jagath