A doctor attached to the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) following a Tamil language Training course at the Agalawatta National Languages Education and Training Institute who went on a field tour with a batch of 80 other doctor colleagues to the Makeli Ella (waterfall) in Palindanuwara died after slipping and falling into the waterfall on May 13.
He was identified as Dr.Thameera Dissanayake (27) of Aruppola Kandy.
Dissanayake had been trying to take pictures of the batch standing dangerously on a slipping rock when he had suddenly slipped and fallen into a deep spot in the waterfall and disappeared in the water.
When the Baduraliya Police was informed Police along with officers from the Makeliya Army Camp and neighbours conducted a search operation in the lower reaches of this waterfall but they had to abandon the search on May 20 night due to inclement weather conditions.
When they resumed the search on May 21, Navy divers who came to the assistance recovered the doctors body around 7.30 a.m. stuck in 30 feet deep water. When the media personnel visited the Galewatta National Languages Training Institute to gather more information about the tragedy they were disbarred from entering the institute premises by the security officers.