Koslanda tragedy: Midwife's dead body identified!

Meeriyabedda midwife's corpse stuck in the mud ....  Identified by husband from her big toe
A large number of lives were lost in the Koslanda, Meeriyabedda landslide catastrophe. The worst tragedy that occured was that even dead bodies of most of the deceased victims have not been recovered.
On the day of the tragedy, Chrishanthi Dhammika (44), the Meeriyabedda midwife including 5 in their house had died, covered by the earth in this landslide.

Her husband who set out on his duties as Driver of transporting staff of Pelwatta Sugar Company at 4 in the morning, thus escaped death.

Among the 5 dead was their youngest son, an up-and-coming singer, Prasad Dineth too.

The deceased midwife had her official residence in this estate in this very location and her husband, elder son, elder son's wife and the 6 month old niece were in the house. It was this house that came under the landslide.

Though Prasad Dineth, a bachelor was employed in Colombo, because he was at home on this day on leave, he too became a victim of this tragedy.

On rescue operations carried out day-before-yesterday, S. Yogaraja (47) the husband of the victim- midwife was able to identify his wife from her big toe of the leg of the corpse when the dead body was exhumed from the mud deposits. It was with tears rolling down his cheeks that Mr.Yogaraja said that he was able to distinctly identify that it was his wife's foot because of the node on that big toe. Mr.Yogaraja also brought to past memories that when they were involved in the romance, when walking she had tripped and injured her foot and that later a node had developed in a lasting manner.

Close to the the wife's dead body was found the dead body of a small child which he presumed as that of his elder son's daughter. Mr. Yogaraja has still been unable to come across the dead bodies of the other 3 members of his family.