Ten police officers attached to the Angulana Police Station have been commended by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, for their part in rescuing 11 naval personnel from the Navy’s Fast Attack Craft P 4447 off the coast of Angulana.
Letters of commendation were presented at a ceremony at Navy Headquarters on Friday (21), the Navy said.
Those commended included the Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Angulana Division, Samantha Wijesekara, and the Officer-in-Charge of the Angulana Police Station, Chief Inspector Samantha Bandara. Ada Derana gave Bandara’s rank; the Navy’s own statement named him without it.
The officers were recognised for their prompt response and for assistance during the rescue operation that the Navy said was carried out beyond the call of duty. Their actions contributed to the safe rescue of all 11 naval personnel aboard the distressed vessel.
The Navy said the support extended by the police during the operation reflected the close cooperation between the two institutions, and that the felicitation would help strengthen those ties further.
Second commendation from the same incident
The ceremony is the second the Navy has held over the Angulana rescue. Vice Admiral Fernando earlier commended civilians who assisted in the operation.
The craft ran into distress on Saturday, August 15 at around 11.40am while returning from a routine patrol, with 12 personnel aboard. Eleven were rescued and hospitalised. The vessel was recovered from the seabed the following evening by Navy diving teams working in rough seas, and a special board of inquiry was appointed to establish what caused the accident.
One crew member remained missing following the incident, with joint Navy and Air Force search operations continuing in the days afterwards. Friday’s statements from the Navy and Ada Derana concerned only the commendations and did not address his status.
