British family panics on railway tracks as Panadura train approaches - one dead, three injured

An 82-year-old British national named 'Allan' has died in a tragic accident after a group of people taking photographs on the railway track near the Panadura Thalpitiya bridge were hit by a sudden train. According to Pinwatta Police, the deceased's 80-year-old wife, their 47-year-old Sri Lankan tour guide, and his 10-year-old son were injured and admitted to Panadura Hospital.

The group faced the accident when they panicked upon seeing a train approaching from Kalutara towards Colombo and ran in various directions.

This foreign couple was staying at a tourist hotel in the Wadduwa area, and they had maintained a close friendship with the said tour guide for about twenty-five years. They had also planned to attend a dinner party scheduled to be held at the tour guide's house in the Moranthuduwa area last night (09). Police investigations revealed that after spending time on the beach yesterday afternoon, they had come to the railway track parallel to the Thalpitiya bridge to capture the beauty of the Bolgoda River on camera.

When the train suddenly appeared, the tour guide attempted to save the foreign woman and his son by pushing them to one side, but they also fell into a tributary of the Bolgoda River and were injured. The British national's head hit the train, and he was thrown onto a black rock under the bridge. His hospitalized wife sustained serious injuries to an arm and a leg. The post-mortem examination of the deceased foreigner is scheduled to be conducted today (10), and further investigations into the matter are underway under the direct instructions of Pinwatta Police OIC, Police Inspector Nuwan Asiri.