Haliela police say that brother and sister who went to cross the river in Bogoda Pihille, Haliela, were swept away by a tidal wave yesterday (23) afternoon and are missing.
The police said that Bodipakshalage Yasidhu (10) and Rashmi Nithika (7) who were studying in the 5th year of Bogoda High School, who were residing in Kokatiyamalwa area of Haliela Bogoda, were swept away by a tidal wave and disappeared.
The police said that with the torrential rain that fell yesterday (23) afternoon, the two went from their home to Kadura in Pihille in search of their mother who was in a house in Egodagoda.
The police also stated that the two were swept away by a sudden tidal wave when they went to cross the river.
The police said that when the villagers searched for the two children who were swept away by the flood, they found an umbrella, a sarong and a pair of sandals floating in the water at a distance of about 100 meters from the place where the two were caught in the flood.
The police said that these two young children were staying at home with their mother and the father was working in the Colombo area.
A senior police officer said that the search for the two Sigiti children who were swept away in the flood has already been started by the officers of the Halilela Police together with the villagers.
He also stated that with the ongoing rains, the water stream in Pihille waterhole is too far to search.
On the instructions of Badulla Senior Superintendent of Police Sujith Vedamulla and Superintendent of Police PM Jayaratne, the officers including Halielala Police Station Commander Police Inspector Ruwan Gunathilaka are conducting further investigations.