More than two months after the “Ditwa” cyclone swept through Sri Lanka, a tragedy in the hill country village of Nawaneliya in Galaha, Deltota has exposed what residents describe as a grave failure by authorities to address known dangers. A mother and her 14-year-old daughter lost their lives after stepping on an unprotected live electric wire, allegedly left unattended by the Ceylon Electricity Board despite repeated warnings from the community.
The victims, identified as Shanthi Kumari and her daughter Udayangani Kumari, had left their home around 10.00 a.m. on the 7th to pluck curry leaves from a garden near their house. What should have been a routine task ended in catastrophe when both stepped on a live wire lying at the base of a karapincha tree and were electrocuted. A resident who witnessed the incident rushed them to the Deltota Regional Hospital, but both were pronounced dead on arrival.
Residents say the danger had been known for weeks. According to locals, electric lines were damaged during the Ditwa cyclone and had fallen to the ground without being properly repaired or removed. “We informed the Electricity Board several times to remove the unprotected wires, but no one paid attention,” a resident said, speaking emotionally to the media after the incident.
The father of the family, speaking through grief, said he had pleaded with officials to disconnect and remove the power supply. He said the tragedy could have been avoided if the wires had been properly taken away. His anguish echoed through the village, which residents described as having fallen into collective mourning following the deaths.
Eyewitness accounts describe a harrowing scene. According to one resident, the daughter was electrocuted first, followed by the mother when she tried to help her. Both lay trapped on the live wire, unable to move. Villagers used ropes to pull the girl and then the mother away from the wire, even as electricity continued to flow through the line. Their final pleas and the desperate rescue attempt have deeply shaken the community.
Shanthi Kumari’s death has left three other daughters without their mother, a loss that residents say has devastated the entire area. The cries of the surviving children have become a painful symbol of what locals insist was an entirely preventable disaster.
Further allegations point to earlier warning signs that went unaddressed. Residents say a fire broke out on an electric pole above the victims’ house just two days before the incident, and that damaged lines in the area had been left exposed. Locals claim that while a temporary black wire was installed to restore power to some homes, fallen wires on the ground were never properly removed.
Speaking to the media, area resident H. Nalin said the Electricity Board had been notified repeatedly since the cyclone. He alleged that a replacement pole had been brought to the site more than two months ago but was never installed. According to him, if the fallen wires had been cleared and proper repairs carried out, the deaths would not have occurred.
Another resident, H. Kumara, said the live wire remains on the road even now, questioning why restoration efforts elsewhere in the country had not extended to their village. He called on the Government to ensure justice for the affected family and to take immediate steps to prevent further loss of life.
Police have since launched a formal investigation into the incident. A senior officer from the Galaha Police confirmed that statements were recorded yesterday from four officials of the Lanka Electricity Board and six local residents. All findings are due to be reported to the Kandy Magistrate’s Court today.
Further investigations are being carried out under the direction of the Acting Officer-in-Charge of the Galaha Police, Chief Inspector Hemantha, as the tragedy raises renewed questions about accountability, post-disaster response, and the human cost of neglected infrastructure.
