Fate that befell two families:

Children die in an instant

By Ananda Agalakada

This is a heart-rending tale of two fathers who lost some of their children in the incessant rain that prevailed over the country. A roar of thunder and the howling winds followed by incessant rains caused havoc in many areas .Mother Nature hadn't been kind this June, causing mayhem and destruction to man, animal, crops and property alike. In a matter of a few days she has left a trail of misery from which many families may find it difficult to rise for a long period of time.

The land where the house once stood

Nimal Rodrigo is one who suffered a major loss, which he may never rise from. The rains continued unabated for several days and Rodrigo was a worried man.

His house was not situated on level ground but he had nowhere else to go. Finally his house lost the battle to withstand in the face of repeated, unrelenting attacks by the persistent rains.

The soil beneath slowly began to disintegrate and one night gave way burying its occupants in a mudslide.

The grief stricken father of four said, when he discovered his younger daughter's body under the rubble it was still warm. On that fateful night Nimal had lost his beloved wife and two daughters.

Nimal recalls how the family went to bed that night after switching off the lights. They never imagined for the world of them that the gushing waters would sweep away their lives and precious property before the break of dawn.

Nimal Rodrigo lived in Dhammagewatta Kithulgoda Agalawatta with his wife and four children. He was working at the Rubber Research Institute in Agalawatta.

"On that day I heard a noise outside my house. I thought a tree may have fallen. Then my son began to scream. I tried to rise to respond to his screams but I could not do so" Nimal said recalling the events on that fateful night.

Nimal said that as usual he had gone to bed after dinner. "We slept in two beds. My wife and my two daughters slept in one bed and my son and I slept in the other room in one bed. The incident occurred at about 11.30 pm".

"There were no lights. The whole area was in darkness. My son screamed. I saw him wriggling under a mountain of rubble. I forced myself through the rubble and somehow reached him and took him pulled him out of the rubble" he said. .

Nimal said he now began searching for his wife and other daughters but try as he might he was unable to spot them. "Then I saw a huge tree which had fallen smashing the roof of my house. My wife and daughters were buried under the walls which had collapsed once the tree fell and broke the roof" he said.

Nimal said at first he did not know whether his wife and two daughters were inside or had escape,d so he had shouted out for them. Then he began searching through the mounds of rubble "I then got hold of one of my daughters and with the help of my son I was able to pull them out" he said. Nimal said although he was shouting out for them , his voice was drowned with the sound of the pelting rains, his screams were drowned and the people did not come immediately as they could not hear them.

"By the time I could no see anything. I climbed a small hill which in and claps of thunder. The rain did not recede and there were bolts of thunder throughout the village of Agalawatta" he said.

Nimal had somehow reached a neighbours house with his son and daughter. After hearing what had happened people gathered around the house and the relevant officials were informed. Within a short period police officers in Agalawatta and Army officers had rushed to Nimal's house.

"My son and I were immediately rushed to hospital. Later the lifeless bodies of my wife and two daughters were found buried under the debris, by the neighbours. Later I came to know from the villages that my youngest daughter's body was still warm when they discovered her body" Nimal said amidst uncontrollable sobs.

The grief stricken Nimal said "I lost my beloved wife and daughters. I pray that such a thing will not happen to anyone. We are poor people but we did not disturb anyone in this village. Where were the deities they forgot us when we most needed them" Nimal who was still in shock, said.

Lal Karunarathna, a neighbour said that his house too was destroyed killing his two little children due to a mudslide. He and his wife had narrowly escaped from the gushing waters. Eight-year-old Nimasha and four-year-old Rusiru were the victims in that instance.

Lal Karunarathna who was 49 years said he was a tractor driver. "We lived under dire circumstances with the limited earnings we made by engaging in menial work in our area. On that fateful day I went to sleep with my wife and two daughters. My wife and daughters slept in one room in the house. I woke up at the dead of night when I heard a huge sound and I came out of the house".

"In seconds my house collapsed and there was a huge noise. I was marooned as trees around had also collapsed.

The walls of my house came down in an instant. It was with great difficulty that I got out of the debris and rubble surrounding my house" he said.

At that time I shouted and was calling for my wife. Within a few minutes I found my wife and I pulled her out of the rubble. Although both of us began to look for our two daughters we could not find them. The neighbours then rushed towards our house after hearing my screams and one of them immediately brought a backhoe to save my children.

On that day in a span of about two hours the neighbours found both my daughters buried beneath the rubble. I called their names and pleaded of them to respond but there was absolutely no response. We rushed them to hospital. Doctors pronounced them dead on admission" he said.