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Na-Uyana railcar tragedy: Rescuers recall frantic search in the dark for monks
View(s):By Sunil Kahagalla and Chandani Dissanayake
The continuous ringing of the dong at the Na-Uyana forest monastery on the Dummiya mountain range on Thursday night, alarmed the villages.
Villagers started rushing towards the monastery, knowing that something was amiss.
“My house is located close by, and usually the dong is rung at the time of the almsgiving, but it was unusual to hear that sound around 9.30 p.m.,” said Asanaka Ganarathana, a resident.
“When we reached the monastery, we saw several monks running frantically, looking for help. It was dark. We were told that an accident had occurred: some of the monks travelling up in the railcar had fallen down a steep slope—about 100 to 150 feet—after the cable had snapped,” he said.
Funerals were held at the monastery on Friday for the four Sri Lankan monks who died in the railcar tragedy. Pix by Nisal Baduge
A few villagers volunteered to descend the steep slope and rescue the victims. As they made their way down, they saw some of the injured monks, with their robes scattered and entangled in trees, a resident said. Soon, the rescue party realised the gravity of the accident but were still unsure how many monks had fallen down the slope.
They managed to find six to seven monks, and many of them had fractures and severe injuries.
It was only later that rescue workers realised how the accident had occurred—the cable supporting the railcar had snapped due to an overload while thirteen monks were in it, ascending the mountain to the monastery.
Na-Uyana Aranaya Senasanadhipathi Ven. Agulgamuwea Ariyananda Thera said that just after a meditation programme around 9.30 p.m., the monks started returning to their abodes, using the railcar. The accident occurred when the third batch was returning.
Villagers said that as they were not sure as to how many monks had travelled in the cable car, they continued their search in the area for two more hours, even after removing 13 monks to hospital.
Villagers visit the monastery to pay their last respects to the seven monks killed in the accident
Seven monks, including three foreign monks, died in the accident.
The railcar, built to carry a maximum of 500 kg, was transporting 13 monks when the tragedy occurred. The apparent overloading had caused the cable to snap, resulting in the railcar losing control. It had been donated by a businessman from Colombo and installed 23 years ago.
The monastery, spread over 1,130 acres, housed 185 residential monks, including 60 foreign monks.
Meanwhile, the cremation of four Sri Lankan monks took place at the monastery ground, while arrangements are being made to send the remains of the three foreign monks to their respective countries.
The monks who lost their lives were identified as Ven Malwanegama Samiddhi, Ven Nawalapitiye Uttarananda, Ven Nugegoda Vipassi, Ven Udawalawe Santhasumana, Ven Rumeniyawe Dhammaransi, Rusiyawe Dhammarakkitha and Indiyawe Dhamma Gaweshi.
Six other monks injured in the incident are receiving treatment.
| Full-scale investigation underway: PoliceA full-scale investigation is currently underway over the railcar tragedy at the Na-Uyana Arannya Senasanaya, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Ajith Rohana told the Sunday Times. He said that although it appeared that the cable had snapped, they were looking into all aspects of how the incident took place. He said initial investigations indicated that the 23-year-old contraption to draw the railcar with the help of a cable lacked proper maintenance. A report from the Government Analyst is also due. Officials from the Government Analyst’s Department, the Police Transport Division and the Criminal Investigation Department have visited the scene and are conducting investigations. | |
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