Katukurunda Boat Accident; A Tragedy That Could Have Been Averted

Mass funeral of several victims of the tragedy.
Pic: www.sooriyanfmnews.com

This article was originally published in Ceylon Today on 26 February 2017. 

He was staring somewhere far, far away. It reminded us a person who is staring at the horizon when the sun is sinking into deep blue water. His gaze was empty and his face was blank. From time to time it wrenched with agony, which could not be explained with words.

“God blessed me with everything, I asked. After my marriage I asked him for a son and a daughter. I did everything to make my family happy. But, in the end, for some reason, God was angry with this sinner."

Teardrops were rolling down his cheeks. In front of him, a child was sleeping. His tiny hands lay across the chest, motionless. Looking at him, the father, Gayan Sujeeva, again tried to gather words.

“That day, my son and daughter, and I were in the boat. My wife did not join us. After a while my daughter wanted to come to me. So I took her close to me and the son was watching the sea waves a short distance away. That was when it happened. The boat began to lean to a side. I gathered my daughter in my arms and jumped into the water. After spending a few seconds underwater, I made my daughter hold on to the capsized boat. But, I could not find my son. Everyone was struggling and screaming,” Sujeeva said, his voice broken.

He said that he grabbed a woman, who was near him and struggling, by her hair. Then holding the hand of his daughter he tried to remain afloat. After a few minutes a small boat noted the three of them and saved them, he added. Another boat had taken Sujeeva’s seven-year-old Yunal Yuddhika, who celebrated his birthday a month before. But, it was too late. The child had bid farewell to the world 30 minutes later.

“I am not much educated. But, I always wanted my children to be educated well. I am not a rich person. But, I saved every cent I earned to give them a good education which I did not receive. Now, my every hope has collapsed. Every dream has shattered,” he buried his face in his hands, in which he was holding a photograph of his two children.

The Nightmare

Sixteen people, including three children, perished when one of the 20 boats which took part in the boat procession held in Katukurunda as a part of the annual feast of St. Lazarus Church in Beruwala, capsized in the sea on 19 February. At the time of the accident, there were nearly 50 persons on the deck. Many of them were women and children and they had taken part in the feast as families.

Ceylon Today visited Beruwala Divisional Hospital and Nagoda General Hospital. At the time of our visit, many people who were hospitalized due to the accident had been discharged. Dr. Padmi Ranaweera, the District Medical officer told Ceylon Today that 26 victims of the boat tragedy were admitted to the hospital on 19 February. Two of them were already dead. One of the patients died while receiving treatment at the Emergency Treatments Unit and four transferred to the Nagoda General Hospital. Others except one were discharged by 21 February, Dr. Ranaweera said.

Furthermore, a Nagoda General Hospital spokesperson said 30 people were brought to the hospital, including the four transferred from the Beruwala Hospital. Among them, there were eight dead bodies and two of the victims were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (02). Both of them had reportedly passed away after two days.

Rajendra was on the boat with his entire family when the accident happened. However, all of them were fortunate enough to save their lives. According to him, the boat was speeding against the sea waves when it began to lean. People were terrified and they started to run here and there. Therefore,the skipper could not maintain the balance by any means, he said. Many people, especially women and children, did not know how to swim and that caused more deaths, he added.

Investigation Report

On 21 February a special investigation report on Katukurunda tragedy was handed over to Minister of Fisheries Mahinda Amaraweera by Krishti Lal Fernando, the Kalutara Assistant Director General of Fisheries.

It is said, according to the report, the capsized boat IMUL-A-627-KLT and other boats which participated in the boat procession had not gained any official approval prior to the event. It was because the procession was not related to a fisheries activity but a religious ceremony, boat owners had informed the authorities.

Furthermore,the report pointed out that these kinds of boats are not suitable for transporting people. Even though only five persons can ride in such boats with ice, fuel, fish and other equipment, on the day of the tragedy there were more than 40 people on the boat, the report stated.

The report further revealed that when it comes to technical facts, a certain weight should be carried in the base of a boat in order to maintain the balance. That is why ice and other equipment are stored at the bottom of a boat. But, on that unfortunate day,there were no equipment at the bottom but too many people on the deck. Due to that reason, the skipper could not maintain the balance of the vessel, it was pointed out.

Aftermath of the Nightmare

Soon after the accident, the fisheries community, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lanka Police and the Coast Guard, tried their maximum to rescue the victims. If they had not acted in time, the tragedy would have become much worse.

Sugath Sanjeewa is a fisherman attached to the Beruwala Fisheries Harbour. His hands and legs were burnt because of the incident. Even though he was in pain, Sanjeewa was busy emptying water from the capsized boat. “We went there at once after hearing the incident. All of us wanted nothing but to save lives of our neighbors. Unfortunately, we were not that lucky,” he said

Sanjeewa also confirmed the technical facts which the report handed over to the minister on the incident had highlighted. A similar boat can carry about 40,000 kg of weight. But, the bottom should be filled with equipment. Otherwise, the skipper would not be able to control the boat, he pointed out. “On that day,they hadn’t filled the bottom. It had been empty and there were too many people on the deck. No wonder, the skipper could not control the boat,” he said.

Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on 20 February asserted that every measure should be taken to avoid catastrophes of this nature in the future. Therefore, steps should be taken to revoke the licence of the capsized boat. Licences of the other boats which participated in the boat procession will also be suspended, the minister said.

Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, had also expressed condolences to the families of those who perished in the accident. In a statement the Cardinal said the Catholic Church is currently viewing the possibility of appointing a committee to give directions to churches to follow when they organize events, such as the boat procession held in the Katukurunda sea coast.

The proposed committee will also set up several rules and guidelines for organizers of religious functions. This step is to avoid tragedies like Katukurunda in the future, he added. Meanwhile, the skipper of the boat was taken into custody on 24 February. He was produced before the Kalutara Magistrate the same day. Kalutara South Police are conducting further investigations into the incident at the moment.

Lack of Knowledge on Safety Measures

There were no life jackets on the boat. Therefore, people could not stay afloat until the arrival of other boats and rescue teams. It is clear that if the people who organized the boat procession had considered providing safety measures, the death toll would not have been so high.

Sri Lankans have the habit of caring less about safety measures. The lack of knowledge can also be a problem. Furthermore,the lack of knowledge in first aid is a serious inadequacy in the Sri Lankan society. This mindset should be changed. The government must take immediate actions to educate people on safety measures and first aid. Otherwise, the country will be unfortunate to come across tragedies such as Katukurunda in the future too.

Original article,