Nugegoda death toll rises to 19

Rafik Jalaldeen

Six suspects arrested following the explosion in Nugegoda were released yesterday. The death toll rose to 19 with a civilian succumbing to his injuries last morning at the Colombo General Hospital, police media spokesman Senior DIG Jayantha Wickramaratne said.

Preliminary investigations conducted by Western Province South DIG C.D. Wickramaratne revealed that a young man who handed over a green Tulips bag to the security guard of No Limit fashion shop on Wednesday around 5.50 pm walked along the road without entering the shop. "As the Security Guard placed the bag at the bag counter he had given a token to the young man and noted that he was walking down along road instead of entering the shop," DIG Wickramaratne said.

The Security Guard alerted the police and the store manager. The PC who had rushed to the bag counter detected a wire from the bag and requested the Manager to bring a pair of scissors to cut the wire.

"While he was checking the parcel, onlookers gathered. The PC warned the public to go away and the panic-stricken customers rushed to take their belongings from the bag counter. That's when the bomb went off," DIG Wickramaratne added.

He pointed out that the bomb was operated by remote control.

"The initial investigations indicate that the LTTE suspect who placed the bomb at the bag counter operated it by remote control," he added. Police and army cordon the area and arrested six suspects following the blast. The six suspects were released yesterday as they proved innocent.

The victims have been identified as H.P.Jayathunga (Meegoda), N.S.Pushpakumara, G.G.Nadeeka (Dompe), S.H.Mishabdeen (Hemmathagama), Keshini Witharana (a student of Kelaniya University, resident of Ananda Mawatha, Gampaha), M.Azeez (Kahatowita, Nittambuwa), D.Hemamali Witharana (Thanayama Road, Mahiyangana), D.Sandamali (a school girl- resident of Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Piliyandala), A.T.H.Hewage (Kotte), Shanika (Pannipitiya), A.Anushka (Bastian MW, Kotte), M.Sandeepani (a student- resident of Piliyandala), Wichithra, PC N.Kumara (Kurunegala) and Samadhi Weerasinghe.