The person who removed the bolts causing the train derailment at Vanawasala has been arrested.

A person has been arrested by a team of officers from the Peliyagoda Police Station on suspicion of removing bolts from the railway track, in connection with the train accident that occurred this morning (16) in the area between Kelaniya and Vanawasala railway stations. According to police investigations, it has been revealed that the arrested individual is severely addicted to drugs, and the police strongly suspect that he transported the removed railway bolts to another location.

Another person involved in this heinous act has been identified, and police teams are conducting extensive investigations to swiftly apprehend him as well.

Due to this incident of bolt removal, a slow train traveling from Polgahawela to South Kalutara met with an accident around 5:40 AM today, where the train derailed and one carriage overturned off the track. As a result of this serious accident, ten passengers traveling on the train were injured, and steps have been taken to admit them for treatment to the Colombo National Hospital and a nearby private hospital. These police investigations were promptly initiated following an official complaint made by the Railway Department to the police regarding the removal of bolts from the railway track.

Mr. Asanka Samarasinghe, Media Spokesperson for the Railway Department, confirmed that there is a clear delay in train operations on the main line due to this train derailment incident. Meanwhile, to investigate this accident near the Vanawasala railway station, Railway General Manager Mr. Ravindra Pathmapriya has appointed a special investigation team comprising two engineers, and they have already commenced field investigations related to the incident. Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Dr. Prasanna Gunasekara, also emphasized that special investigations are currently underway to determine whether this train derailment was a planned act of sabotage.