Boat tragedy: Navy help sought for probe
23 September 2012 09:47 am
Police Headquarters said today it had sought the help of the Sri Lanka Navy to carry out an investigation into the capsizing of a boat off Beruwala killing five people and injuring two others on Saturday.
The boat with 13 people on board was on an excursion to the Beruwala Lighthouse.
Police said they sought Navy assistance in the investigations because of suspicion that the boat might have carried more passengers than it was permitted to do.
The victims were residents of Pelawatta in Battaramulla. Their bodies were sent to the Nagoda General Hospital.
Police said none of the passengers were wearing life jackets and that each of them had paid Rs.1,500 to the boat owner for the trip.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana advised those who wished to go out on a boat ride to wear life jackets and obtain a ticket for the money they had paid.
“A ticket helps to prove a legal binding between the two parties,” he said adding that people were often not so concerned about the number of passengers on a boat.
(Supun Dias)
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