Saturday, 1st November 2014
A 62-year-old man, a middle aged woman and a six-year-old girl were among the dead in Wednesday’s tragedy
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said yesterday according to the latest statistics received up to noon yesterday, four people were reported dead and 33 missing in Wednesday’s landslide at Meeriyabedda Estate. He said a 62-year-old man, a middle aged woman and a six-yearold girl were among the dead while ten males, 19 females, four boys and one girl were reported missing.
SSP Rohana said the police had obtained the information after recording statements from responsible officials and the survivors.
He said an investigation would be held about the contradictory statistics on the number dead and missing in the landslide.
“If someone is missing or dead, it is the Police Department that has the authority to investigate. We need these statistics because a death certificate has to be issued and compensation has to be paid after a police investigation,” SSP Rohana said.
He said the police issued the report based on the information received so as to clarify the contradictory reports doing the rounds.
“We recorded a statement from the Amptikanda Estate Manager and the Kotabathma Grama Sevaka. Apart from this, we recorded statements from the survivors at the two camps about their family members who are missing,” SSP Rohana said.
He said a special police team had been appointed on the instructions of the President to check whether the relevant authorities had advised the people in areas prone to landslides to evacuate and whether the warning had been overlooked.
“A special police team headed by the Uva and Sabaragamuwa SSP Lalith Jayasinghe has been appointed and their report is expected within a week.
The police have recorded statements from Kotabathma Grama Sevaka, Haldummulla Divisional Secretary, two villagers and NBRO senior geologist Mahesh Bandara Somaratne,” he said.
From : http://epaper.dailymirror.lk/epaper/viewer.aspx
