Tourist hotel in Ahangama collapses; six workers injured

A four storeyed tourist hotel building coming up at Alawathukissa, Thiththagalla, Ahangama collapsed and got razed to the ground yesterday morning injuring six workers engaged in construction work. They were admitted to the Ahangama and Karapitiya hospitals, Ahangama Police said.

The workers, who sensed the impending tragedy, had tried to run out and five of them had managed to escape with injuries while the other, who got trapped under the debris, was rescued, with serious injuries and was rushed to Karapitiya hospital while the other five injured were admitted to the Karapitiya and Ahangama hospitals.

The hotel building was coming up within a Cinnamon plantation in Thiththagalla. Several experts in the architecture field opined that sub standard construction techniques would have contributed to the collapse of the entire building. Police teams from Ahangama, Habaraduwa, Galle and Imaduwa and Army relief teams joined the operation to rescue to the trapped worker.

Ahangama Police are conducting investigations, directed by OIC Inspector Weerasekara, under the supervision of Galle SP Ginige.