9-year old girl drowns at Deraniyagala waterfall

COLOMBO (News 1st); A 9 year old girl has drowned in the Deraniyagala Rakkanawa waterfall, Police says.

Police stated that the girl who was in a critical condition after drowning on Friday (04) morning passed away after being admitted to the Deraniyagala Hospital.

The deceased has been identified as a resident of Anhettigama, Deraniyagala.

Meanwhile, Police said that an increase in the number of drowning incidents in Sri Lanka has been reported over the weekends.

Police pointed out that people going to different parts of the country for various excursions should be very careful while bathing in water sources.

Many drowning incidents occur due to lack of awareness and carelessness about water currents, while studies show that the average drowning rate in Sri Lanka during the three years 2016-2018 was 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people.