2 WOMEN DROWN, 2 YOUTH MISSING

WHILE SEA BATHING OFF BALAPITIYA

Two women drowned while two men have gone missing when bathing in the sea off Wellabada near the Balapitiya Bandarawatte Grounds last evening, the Ahungalla Police said.

The bodies of the two females identified as that of 32-year-old U.H. Chandani, a mother of one and the other as that of 15-year-old schoolgirl Lakshani Wasana.

The two 18-year-old youth gone missing had been identified as Nadika Chanaka and Vishal Chanaka.

The two females drowned and the two teenagers gone missing while they were bathing in the sea with sixteen members of four families, who were residents of Pathiraja Pedesa, Ahungalla.

Police said the bodies of the two women were transferred to the Balapitiya Hospital Morgue.

The police and Navy divers have launched a search operation for the two missing youths. Ahungalla Police are conducting further investigations.

Meanwhile, a body that was spotted on Tuesday drifting along was brought ashore yesterday by an unidentified individual and left on a pavement nearby, the Police said. The rough seas off Bambalapitiya made it difficult to recover the body and it remained in sea for more than six hours. The body is identified as that of Pathum Fernando, a 22-year-old resident of Indigahapitiya, Ja-ela.

The Kollupitiya Police arrived at the scene after being informed by a resident. The Police said their preliminary investigations had revealed that the victim was employed at a private bank in Colombo 3 and had allegedly visited a customer in Wellawatte on Tuesday morning. Police said they were investigating the tragedy on the basis that the youth might have died under suspicious circumstances.