Open verdict into death of hotel employee

Kapila SOMARATNE, Panadura group corr

A man working in a hotel in Mount Lavinia, died after being allegdly electrocuted.

Wickramasimghe Rajapaksa Ekanayake Wasala Mudiyanselage Madugalla Walawwe Wasantha Parakkarama Madugalla, 42, who had been working in the hotel for around 25 years, was allegedly electrocuted when he tried to switch on a fan in the hotel. Colombo South Teaching Hospital Inquirer into Sudden Deaths, D M Dharmasiri Alwis recorded an open verdict.

An assistant chef at the hotel, K K Ananda Premasiri Ranatunge giving evidence at the inquest on Tuesday at the Colombo South Hospital, said on the day of the incident, Madugalla was electrocuted when he tried to switch on the fan. Ranatunge said Madugalle touched him and he immediately switched off the power supply of the switch board and rushed Madugalla to the Colombo Teaching Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The victim's wife, Kumari Manel Wanigatunge in evidence said she received a message from the hotel at about 3. 30pm on the day of the incident. Wanigatunge said she rushed to the Colombo South Hospital and found that her husband had died.