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‘At
least our children must be alive’ It was around 9.30 a.m when they were passing Telwatte in Hikkaduwa that the first wave of water came inland. As the waves came in, the passengers managed to scramble out and Sunethra Kanthi grabbed her four-month-old son and jumped out of the van. But only she survived while the waves dragged away all the other passengers including her three children. Her husband Anura Ranasinghe sits in his house in a village close to Beruwala in a dazed stupor unable to speak. He survived as he had stayed at home while their only surviving daughter Jayani Sandamli (9) escaped as she had left for Mirissa the previous day with a relative. Her younger sister Tiruni Apsara(7) attended the Ariyawansa Junior School in the area and was the class prefect. "She was always first in class," her father said. The two younger sons were Sadeep aged four and Malindu aged just four months . Anura said even though his wife grabbed the infant and jumped out of the van, the driver of the vehicle who was close behind had taken the child from her and climbed a tree to safety. But with the second wave, the tree was uprooted and they were washed away. Sunethra had managed to cling onto a tree and escape with minor injuries. So far only two bodies of the sixteen victims have been recovered but the desperate parents are still hopeful that their children may be alive." I hear many children have been kidnapped. I am sure at least two of my children are alive," Anura says. |
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