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Galle Hospital struggled to identify tsunami victims; 300 remain unidentified

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A hospital in Sri Lanka’s southern town of Galle went to great lengths to identify and deliver over 1,200 bodies that suddenly came to the hospital during the tsunami, but to this day about 300 remain un-identified, a media report quoting a judicial medical officer said.

Galle town was one of the hardest hit locations in the country, where the main town square went under water.

Other badly hit towns include Hambantota, and the island’s East which took the full force of the waves, but some of the areas were then under the control of Tamil Tiger separatists.

Among the dead bodies that flooded the Karapitiya hospital in Galle were 40 children, where both parents had also died, Chief Judicial Medical Officer Rohan Ruwanpura was quoted a saying in Sri Lanka’s Divaina newspaper.

About 200 of the bodies were identified by relatives on the same day.

The hospital did not have the resources to conduct post-mortems on all the bodies and also had no mortuary facilities. Usually ice and sawdust could be used, but the ice factories were also destroyed, according to Ruwanpura.

With limited chemicals available for embalming, a light embalm was performed to preserve the bodies for about two days.

After the first day, about 550 other bodies were identified by relatives.

About 450 bodies could not be identified. They were buried in a mass grave after getting a magistrates order. Before that the remains were photographed.

“Any ornaments they were wearing, any possession they had and tattoos or marks were photographed,” Ruwanpura told the Divaina.

In the days after the tsunami about another 100 bodies had been found. (Colombo/Dec26/2024)

The hospital had also preserved DNA samples of many of the victims.

About 100 persons were identified later. The samples were kept at the hospital for 10 years. But were destroyed as they had deteriorated.

(ECONOMYNEXT)
Except for the headline, this story, originally published by ECONOMYNEXT has not been edited by SLM staff

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SJB appoints committee for talks on working together with UNP

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The Working Committee of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has approved a proposal for discussions to work together with the United National Party (UNP).

Accordingly, a five-member committee, headed by SJB General Secretary – Ranjith Madduma Bandara, has been appointed for the discussions.

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China pledges to back sovereignty, territorial integrity & independence of SL (Video)

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Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China, stated that China is committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.

This statement was made during a meeting between President Anura Kumar Disanayake and Zhao Leji, which took place earlier today (Jan. 16) as part of President Disanayake’s four-day official visit to China.

During the meeting, Chairman Zhao warmly welcomed President Disanayake, further emphasizing that working with Sri Lanka in a continuous and cooperative manner is a key expectation of the Chinese National People’s Congress.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism – Vijitha Herath, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation – Bimal Rathnayake, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka – Qi Zhenhong and Sri Lankan Ambassador to China – Majintha Jayesinghe, were also present at the event.

(President’s Media Division)

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SL President holds talks with globally renowned Chinese companies (Pics)

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During his four-day state visit to China, President Anura Kumara Disanayake held a series of strategic discussions with several globally acclaimed leading Chinese corporations following his participation in an investment forum organized by both public and private sector entities in China.  

Among the prominent companies involved in these discussions were the China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC), China Petrochemical Corporation (SINOPEC Group), Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd (MCC), Huawei and BYD Auto.  

President Disanayake highlighted the investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka and assured these corporations that the government is committed to providing all necessary facilities and support to investors to foster a business-friendly environment.  

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath and Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake also participated in these significant engagements.  

(President’s Media Division)

Ms. Yu Ling –  Director – BYD
Mr. Wang Tongzhou – Chairman – China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC)
Ms. Shi Dai – Director and President – China Merchants Group (CMG)
Mr. Ma Yongsheng – Chairman – Sinopec Corp
Mr. Jeff Wang  – Senior Vice President – Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

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