A 13-year-old schoolboy has drowned in the Maha Oya near Yakabendiella, and his father was hospitalised after getting into difficulty while trying to reach him.
The boy has been identified as Herath Mudiyanselage Nimsara Pramod of Pinnakelewatta, Divulapitiya, the Daily Mirror reported.
He had gone to bathe in the river with his father and several other people. When the boy got into trouble in the water, his father, Namal Bandara, went in after him but was also unable to stay afloat and could not reach his son.
Residents of the area pulled both father and son out of the river and took them to Dambadeniya Base Hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead on admission. His father was admitted for treatment.
Nalla Police are conducting further investigations.
The Daily Mirror was the only newsroom to report the death; no other outlet had carried it at the time of writing.
