Sripathi killed in shattering car crash

Gampaha district parliamentarian and SLFP (Mahajana) wing National coordinator Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi and three others were killed and two critically injured when his official vehicle, crashed into a tree yesterday afternoon at Medagama in the Anuradhapura district.

The 45-year-old Sooriyaarachchi, two of his bodyguards and some friends had visited Anuradhapura on Friday and paid homage to the Sri Maha Bodhiya. While returning in his Land Cruiser to his Kandana residence, Mr. Sooriyarachchi’s vehicle, reportedly running at high speed, had skidded off the road and rammed into a tree on the road side, Galgamuwa police said. They said they believed the vehicle had crashed because the road was slippery due to the drizzle at that time and the driver had lost control.

“The vehicle had hit a large tree about 10 feet above the road level,” an eyewitness told The Sunday Times. The vehicle was reduced to a wreck. Villagers rushed to the scene and tried to take out the victims. They were forced to use crowbars and axes to remove them.

Mr Sooriyaarachchi, his driver and one of his body guards were pronounced dead on admission while another succumbed to his injuries at Anuradhapura hospital. Thambuttegama hospital worker T.M.T. Sunil Prematillaka, who helped bring Mr. Sooriyaarachchi to hospital, told The Sunday Times he noticed that the MP had injuries on his left hand and the chest area and other than these, there were no external injuries.

The others killed were identified as S.K.P.R. Silva, T.P. Samarasinghe (driver) and Guneratne. The injured were Nihal Kumara and Lakmal who are now undergoing treatment at the Anuradhapura hospital. Mr. Sooriyaarachchi and the others had stopped to have lunch earlier at Anuradhapura and left about half an hour before the incident took place at Medagama, some six kilometres from the Thambuttegama town.

Residents said that place where the accident occurred claimed two more lives in recent weeks in two accidents. Mr. Sooriyarachchi was the father of two sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter is in Advanced Level and the youngest son is 5 years old. He married in 1989.

A stream of friends, relatives, politicians and supporters were visiting the Sooriyaarachchi residence in Kandana last night.
SLFP (M) Wing leader Mangala Samaraweera and UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka were among those went to Anuradhapura last night to bring the body of Mr. Sooriyaarachchi after the post-mortem. Mr. Samaraweera said he was deeply shocked by the incident.

The others killed were identified as S.K.P.R. Silva, T.P. Samarasinghe (driver) and Guneratne. The injured were Nihal Kumara and Lakmal who are now undergoing treatment at the Anuradhapura hospital.

Mr. Sooriyaarachchi and the others had stopped to have lunch earlier at Anuradhapura and left about half an hour before the incident took place at Medagama, some six kilometres from the Thambuttegama town. Residents said that place where the accident occurred claimed two more lives in recent weeks in two accidents.

Mr. Sooriyarachchi was the father of two sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter is in Advanced Level and the youngest son is 5 years old. He married in 1989. A stream of friends, relatives, politicians and supporters were visiting the Sooriyaarachchi residence in Kandana last night. SLFP (M) Wing leader Mangala Samaraweera and UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka were among those went to Anuradhapura last night to bring the body of Mr. Sooriyaarachchi after the post-mortem. Mr. Samaraweera said he was deeply shocked by the incident.