10 people drown in Deduru Oya, two rescued, two dead, six missing

Investigations have been launched based on a message received by the Kobeigane Police Station that a group of people bathing in the Deduru Oya Kuritiyagahamula ford in the Kobeigane police division have drowned and gone missing.

Here, four males, three females, and three schoolchildren have drowned, and one male and one female have been rescued and admitted to Nikaweratiya Hospital. The bodies of one female and one male have been recovered, while two more males, one female, and three schoolchildren are still missing.

The deceased male was 70 years old and the deceased female was 34 years old, both residents of the Kobeigane area. The missing males are 39 and 72 years old, the female is 42 years old, and the schoolchildren are 09, 13, and 18 years old, all residents of the Kobeigane and Udawela areas.

Investigations have revealed that the deceased male, deceased female, and the missing individuals met with this accident while bathing at the Kuritiyagahamula ford with a group of relatives who had come from the Kadawatha area.

Kobeigane Police, with the assistance of local residents and Navy diving officers, are continuing search operations to find the missing individuals.