Tragedy Strikes: Two Students Drown While Canoeing in Kelani Floodwaters

Police report that due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions and heavy rainfall, the water level of the Kelani River has risen, and the bodies of two school students who went canoeing in the overflowing waters were found on the evening of the 30th, after they had drowned and gone missing.

The two friends who tragically lost their lives are eighteen-year-old Sudesh Nirmal and seventeen-year-old Nuwan Kumara, who were studying for their Advanced Level examinations at Mandawala Maha Vidyalaya. These two, along with another friend named Oshan, had gone canoeing in the floodwaters for recreation on the afternoon of the 28th. The accident occurred while they were traveling in the canoe to drop Oshan back on the other side.

Water leaked from a hole in the canoe they were traveling in, causing it to suddenly capsize. Student Oshan managed to save his life.

Although he made a desperate attempt to save his two drowning friends, holding onto them, his efforts were thwarted by the strong current, and the two students were swept away by the water.

Regarding the bodies of these students, found three days after their disappearance, Kirindiwela Inquirer into Sudden Deaths, Mr. Piyasiri Magammanna, conducted an on-site examination and arranged for the bodies to be sent to Wathupitiwala Hospital. The post-mortem examination conducted by Specialist Judicial Medical Officer Dr. P.R.G.P. Rajapaksha at Wathupitiwala Hospital determined that the deaths were due to drowning and asphyxiation. Further investigations into the incident were carried out by Kirindiwela Police Constable Ekanayake (106420).