Sri Lanka’s navy has confirmed that all five personnel who went missing during a flood-mitigation operation in Chundikkulam have died, as search teams recovered their bodies.
Police said the sailors had been working earlier today to widen a waterway in the Chundikkulam area when they were swept away. The navy immediately launched a search effort, deploying multiple teams to locate the missing personnel.
Navy spokesperson Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya stated that the sailors were part of a flood-relief unit operating in the region when the incident occurred. Heavy rains linked to Cyclone Ditwah have triggered severe flooding across the North-East, further complicating search and rescue efforts.
Recovery operations continued into the evening as authorities attempted to retrieve all five bodies despite ongoing storms and rising water levels.