Three people drown; one reported missing in last 24 hours

COLOMBO (News 1st):- Four lives have reportedly been taken away in a tragic manner due to drowning. Wennapuwa  The lives of three people who were seeking to spend a relaxed Saturday evening at the beach ended in a tragedy. Three youth drowned in the sea off the Kammala beach in Waikkal, Wennappuwa. 17-year-old Kavisha Sewmini visited the Waikkal Kammala beach in Wennapuwa last evening (January 11) along with a few of her relatives. However, in a few short minutes tragedy struck when Sewmini was caught in a wave and pulled into the sea. 14-year-old Nadeera Dham Gimsara and 21-year-old Heshan Chamara had also jumped in an attempt to save Sewmini. Kavisha Sewmini was brought to the shore by a group of area residents. However, they were not able to save the life of Kavisha Sewmini. She was a student in Grade 12 at the Sandhalanka National School and the second child in a family of three. 14-year-old Daham Thisera a student of grade 10 at the Weekeda Maha Vidiyala in Dankotuwa, who attempted to save Sewmini also drowned. He was the eldest in a family of two children. Meanwhile, the body of 21-year-old Heshan Chamara Tissera who also attempted to save Sewmini was found this morning (January 12). These 3 lives are not the only lives that have been lost at the Kammala beach. Bandaragama  Meanwhile, a youth who was bathing in the Uyanwatta Wewa in Bandaragama is reported missing. The victim who was a resident of the Millaniya area in Bandaragama had arrived at the Wewa along with a group of friends to bathe. The friends claim that he drowned when bathing. The Bandaragama police along with the residents of the area have launched a search operation to locate the youth. Speaking on these matters, the Navy spokesperson, Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara states that based on the information of the life-saving operations conducted by the Navy, that they've observed many young people losing their lives due to drowning. He further said that through the intervention of the Navy that they've put up notices indicating safe zones to bathe in areas like beaches and rivers. They urge the general public to be responsible and to be extra cautious when getting into water bodies. The spokesperson added that the public should adhere to the criteria mentioned in warning signs and be extremely cautious about safety.