Tharaka, who fell into the sea and struggled for 35 hours, died. Kushan survived.

A tragic story is reported from the Kollupitiya beach about two fishermen who bravely battled death for nearly 35 hours amidst the fierce waves of the deep sea. Despite the strenuous efforts of police lifeguards to find them in the middle of the sea and bring them ashore, that persistent effort was ultimately only enough to save one life.

The young fisherman who unfortunately lost his life in this manner was Warnakulasuriya Tharaka Fernando, a resident of the Iranawila fishing village in Chilaw. The other fisherman, Mr. Warnakulasuriya Chamara Kushan Sanjeewa, who miraculously survived from the shadows of death, was in a severely ill condition and was therefore admitted to the Colombo National Hospital for emergency treatment.

On July 31st, around 4:00 PM, these two fishermen from the Thoduwawa estuary area had gone to sea for their usual livelihood struggle, carrying great hopes in their hearts. However, within a few hours of starting their journey, due to the gradually worsening strong winds and the turbulent nature of the sea, their boat met with an accident and capsized.

Relatives, distressed by the lack of any information about the missing fishermen after the accident, tearfully pleaded with authorities to even launch an aerial surveillance operation. While their hopes were on the verge of being swallowed by darkness and fierce waves, these two individuals, floating in the deep sea, were found yesterday by Kollupitiya police lifeguards.

The post-mortem examination of the deceased fisherman is scheduled to be held at the Colombo National Hospital, and Kollupitiya Police are conducting further investigations into the incident. At the end of their unequal battle with the deep sea for thirty-five hours to save their breath, life itself had defeated them more cruelly than the waves.