Gale damages over 100 houses

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Over 100 houses in the Moratuwa, Koralawella and Panadura areas were severely damaged following a strong gale between 5.50 pm and 7.30 p.m. on Friday, a police spokesman told the Sunday Observer. Around 40 houses at Sadharma Mawatha and at Shramadana Mawatha in the Koralawella area and another 50 houses at Adam Forest at Panadura were affected by the gale.

"The rooftops of many houses had been blown away as a result. However, no injuries or deaths have been reported ," the spokesman said. A spokesman for the Meteorological Department said that heavy rain accompanied by strong winds on Friday evening damaged around 200 houses in those areas. The spokesman said the strong winds that lasted for a few minutes had caused the damage.