Visits to Sigiriya suspended

By Kanchana Kumara 

Colombo, August 14 (Daily Mirror) -Entry into Sigiriya was suspended this afternoon by the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) after 70 local and foreign tourists were stung by wasps. 

Sigiriya Project Manager Thusitha Herath said senior official of the CCF said hundreds of tourists lost the opportunity to visit Sigiria today due to the danger of wasps.

He said 26 foreign tourists and 13 local tourists had received injuries and were admitted to the emergency treatment unit of the Sigiriya Divisional Hospital. He said several others had left without obtaining treatment at the hospital.

The official said it was for the first time that tourists had encountered an attack by wasps and most of them were shocked by the incident. 

It is believed that the wasps' nests had been stirred by the prevailing intense heat and the heavy influx of tourists. 

Meanwhile, tour guides were of the opinion that step should be taken to protect tourists against wasp attack without any harm to the wasps or else it could result in heavy losses. 

However, the Project Officer said they were studying the possibility of spraying steam to drive away the wasp when stirred. He said step was taken to reimburse the fees levied from the tourist who lost the opportunity to enter the area after obtaining tickets.