Heroes of Nawalapitiya who saved the lives of 52 passengers

A report has emerged about the safe rescue of fifty-two passengers from a bus belonging to the Nawalapitiya depot, which was on the verge of an accident. This occurred as the Balanthota Kahawathura Oya overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the central hills, submerging surrounding paddy fields and roads. The NA 4742 two-door bus, which commenced its journey from Nawalapitiya towards Ginigathhena, had all its seats filled and passengers standing when it passed Rambukpitiya and proceeded past the Balanthota bus stop.

As water accumulated to the point where the road was invisible, the driver continued to drive the bus forward, but he could only travel a short distance. At that moment, the bus was caught by a sudden surge of strong water, pushed away, and got stuck against a culvert guard post, coming to a halt.

Confirming the popular belief that Nawalapitiya and Ambagamuwa areas are the domain of God Saman, if the bus had not been stuck against that guard stone, it would have fallen about ten feet down with the passengers and submerged in the water. The water level, which had risen to cover the bus wheels, gradually spread up to the passenger seats. Unable to get out of the bus, which was stuck against the side embankment, the terrified passengers began screaming for help from neighbors.

At that moment, a young man named Chamila, who was traveling in a tipper truck for another task, heard the cries of the passengers and immediately sprang into action, putting aside his own journey. He, along with his relatives and friends Pradeep Madusanka, Thilina Dilshan, Kasun Dilshan, and Vidura Vishwanath, risked their lives to bring the tipper truck right next to the bus. With the assistance of the bus driver and conductor, they worked to lift the passengers through windows and other means onto the tipper truck's flatbed. As the water level continued to rise, the group was safely transported to the Balanthota temple. Had there been a delay of a few more minutes, the bus, along with 52 human lives, would have overturned into approximately 12 feet of deep water and been submerged in the mud.

After rescuing the human lives, efforts were made to retrieve the stuck bus after waiting a few hours for the strong current to subside slightly. A young man named James Christy, a resident of Paththunupitiya, Nawalapitiya, who has been involved in saving lives during various disasters for about twenty years, even spending his own money, used his double cab vehicle to pull the stuck bus to a dry spot and free it.

Due to water entering the engine, the bus could not be started. Subsequently, Mr. Wyman Fernando, the Nawalapitiya Depot Superintendent, arranged for a recovery vehicle to tow the bus and park it inside the Nawalapitiya depot. The Depot Superintendent expressed his gratitude to the driver and conductor who acted to save the passengers when the bus was trapped by the sudden flood, and also to the group of young men who risked their lives to save the passengers and the bus.