Death toll rises to 40

MONDAY, 10 JUNE 2013 

The death toll due to the recent adverse weather conditions has risen to 40, including 38 fishermen, The Disaster Management Centre said.

Several bodies had washed ashore in coastal areas of the Western Province according to a spokesman at the DMC.
The Centre said that 31 persons were still believed to be missing.

Two deaths in Putthalam and Rathnapura were also included after their deaths resulted from floods and an accident stemming from the weather conditions, officials said.

Gale force winds, rains leave 27 dead, 36 missing

Fishers blame Met. Dept. for not issuing warning

June 9, 2013

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) yesterday said that 27 fishermen had been killed and 36 reported missing due to heavy rains and gale force winds in the early hours of Saturday.

DMC spokesperson Sarath Lal Kumara told The Island that 22 fishermen had been wounded, while substantial property damage was reported from the districts of Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle and Kalutara.

The DMC official said that another person had died in Ratnapura in an incident where the branch of a tree fell on his house. Responding to a query, Kumara said that the death toll could go up if bodies of some of those missing fishers washed ashore.

However, Deputy Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne placed the number of fishers dead at 18.

Both the DMC official and the deputy minister placed the number of missing at 36.

Fishermen have accused the Meteorological Department of failing to alert them to the impending heavy rains accompanied by gale force winds. Well informed sources told The Island that the warning was issued several hours after the boats had left southern fisheries harbours. Asked whether the Met. Department had issued a specific warning against going out to sea, sources said that a communiqué issued on Friday evening had predicted high winds and rough seas.There hadn’t been a specific warning, sources said, adding that many lives could have been saved if a timely warning had been given.

Meanwhile, navy headquarters said that since the launch of rescue operations, SLN vessels had rescued 18 fishermen. Of them, four fishermen were rescued off Ratmalana along with their fishing craft.

According to the DMC 62 houses were destroyed while 1,141 partially damaged.