Two schoolgirls die in railway accident in Dehiwala - Update 2

Two schoolgirls die in railway accident in Dehiwala - Update 2

An incident which gave rise to a big uproar yesterday among the media where two schoolgirls embraced death by being knocked down by a train has by now given rise to various contrasting opinions among many people.

The said two schoolgirls had come to attend a night party held at Barcuda Restaurant situated

along Wasala Road, Dehiwala in a car belonging to one schoolgirl. The two victims had got off impatiently from the car even before the car was to be turned and stopped on a side of the marine drive road while their other friends were inside the vehicle. No sooner the two of them were approaching the railway track they had been patient enough to avoid a train which was plying towards Colombo on the other track while right at that moment a train coming on the other track had not been anticipated by them and had therefore continued to rush forward and thus meeting with this accident, it was reported. The two of them had noticed three of their friends who had come to the restaurant standing beyond the rail track and these two had wanted to surprisingly rush towards them even without caring to cast a glance at the oncoming train.

The marine drive road lying close to Wasala Road, Dehiwala where this accident took place is under repairs these days and therefore lampposts have not been functioning. As such the location where the accident took place is ill-lit, it was reported. After the train struck them, one body had got thrown to one side while the other body had got thrown to the other side. It was most unfortunate to note that both of them had breathed their last in the very presence of their own friends. Because of this accident they had all been seen wailing.

Certain people in the neighbourhood who expressed their opinions to the television media about the accident said that even though they shouted out words of caution to them they had continued crossing the tracks simply because they had not been able to hear their words as they were having earphones stuck to their ears. On contacting the website regarding the incident, what their schoolmates and a girl who was a relation said was that it was a lie that both the victims had earphones stuck to their ears. They admit that one of them had a phone in her hands and that just a few minutes before the accident Imesha had communicated with her mother. On this date Imesha's father was expected to be consulted by a doctor across a channeling service and therefore both her mother and father were at a private hospital at that ill-fated moment. Since both her parents were in the presence of the doctor it ultimately ended up as a missed call and later at the time the mother had tried to get across to her daughter the unfortunate accident had already happened, it was reported.

Some of those who examined the incident across CCTV said that this incident resembles a case of suicide carried out on purpose. But according to the survey carried out by the police, they say that it has been confirmed that the victims had crossed the railway tracks negligently, with their earphones stuck to their ears.

Which ever of these interpretations turn out to be correct or incorrect, even before making a start to a graceful journey of their young lives, these two blossoms have thus withered away before that. Imesha is the only girl in a family where she had to leave her two brothers. Her father is the chief of three companies. In the case of the other victim Sharon, her mother is not among the living and Sharon had been living with her father and brother. Both Imesha and Sharon aged 18 years have being studying in the Arts stream at Bambalapitiya Holy Family Convent in the Advanced Level class and they were expected to sit for the exam next August. It was reported that Advanced Level educational activities of their school was to finish on the day of their demise.

Their final rites are expected to be held tomorrow Thursday (28). It is a stroke of destiny for us to record that both friends had to go on their last journey together at Borella Kanatta.

Previous news items about the incident:
* CCTV footage of the accident, from here
* How the HFC students students became a prey to the train while having earphones stuck to their ears, from here