Lankan in NY dies after dive

A thrill-seeking Sri Lankan was rushed to a hospital with a neck injury after he jumped head-first into a big wave during the annual Polar Plunge at Coney Island, reports from New York said. Mohan Seneviratne (32) died later at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, a hospital spokesman said.

Seneviratne, who works for a publishing company, is not a member of the Polar Bear Club, but was taking part in its 104th annual New Year's Day dip.

“He's my son! What happened to my son?” cried Seneviratne's shocked father as he arrived from Connecticut to the hospital late yesterday.

“What was he doing?” he said. Seneviratne was one of the last of several hundred swimmers to take the plunge, said witness Robert Ross (53), of Brooklyn.

“It looked like he just dove head-first into a wave. When he didn't come up, people grabbed him,” he said. Nearby swimmers pulled him on to the sand to wait for an ambulance, he said.

“I didn't see him moving, but at one point, I saw his mouth move, and I said OK, he's going to be OK,” Ross said.