A vallam overturned in Kalpitiya, two children died.

Two young children from the same family have lost their lives in an unfortunate accident where a small boat capsized while traveling from Kalpitiya Kurakkanhena fishing harbor towards the Kalpitiya lagoon. This tragic incident, which occurred on the afternoon of the 11th, claimed the lives of a seven-year-old boy and his 13-year-old aunt.

The unfortunate victims who lost their lives are 7-year-old Amodhya Satsara, a resident of Thambiliwatta, Kurakkanhena, Kalpitiya, and 13-year-old Ambalga Devindi. The deceased boy, Amodhya, was studying in the third grade at Kurakkanhena Primary School, while Ambalga was in the eighth grade at Kurinjampitiya Maha Vidyalaya. Amodhya's mother, Sandamali Apsara Marasinghe Appuhamila, and father, Michael Sujith Asanka, who were also traveling in the boat at the time of the accident, managed to survive.

The deceased girl, Ambalga, was the younger sister of Sujith, who survived the accident. Due to her mother being abroad, her guardianship had been entrusted to Sujith. As it was the school holiday season, these two children had joined their parents for a trip to Godapitiya Island to take a set of fishing nets. While this group, who had gone for fishing, was returning, the boat suddenly capsized after being caught in a strong wave in the lagoon.

While the victims were floating in the lagoon after the accident, a group of fishermen, including Asiri from Kurakkanhena Thambiliwatta area, who were engaged in fishing nearby, saw them and immediately took action. Although the fishermen managed to rescue all four victims and bring them to the Kalpitiya Hospital jetty, hospital authorities confirmed that the two young children had already passed away. The injured adult couple, after being admitted to Kalpitiya Hospital, were transferred to Puttalam Base Hospital for further treatment.

Commenting on the incident, the distraught mother, Mrs. Sandamali Apsara, stated that although the lagoon was calm when they left home, it suddenly became rough on their way back, and a large wave caused the boat to capsize. She expressed her extreme sorrow, weeping over having to face such an unbearable tragedy despite having done nothing wrong.

The post-mortem examinations of the two children who drowned were scheduled to be conducted by the specialist Judicial Medical Officer at Puttalam Base Hospital. Kalpitiya Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.