Birthday celebration ends in tragedy Shehansa’s life lost in school wash basin collapse

• One of the six children receiving treatment at the National Hospital are in critical condition
• The child admitted to LRH had not sustained serious injuries

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

The Birthday celebration of a six year old girl ended in tragedy, when a school’s concrete wash basin collapsed, causing injuries to two other girls and three boys.  
Shehansa Kodagoda tragically lost her life on the day of her sixth birthday, moments after she celebrated the occasion by cutting a birthday cake with her classmates.   
According to Police, the incident was reported at Weragoda Vidyalaya in Wellampitiya yesterday. The injured children including Shehansa, were immediately admitted to the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) and the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH).   

One of the six children receiving treatment at the National Hospital are in critical condition, hospital sources said. Meanwhile the child admitted to LRH had not sustained serious injuries.  
On the day of the incident, residents near the school claimed to have heard screams from the school. Upon arriving at the scene, one resident witnessed concrete slabs collapsed onto two girls. She recounted that during the rescue attempts, one student’s head was crushed by the concrete slabs.  

The incident also caused panic in the area, leading to some outraged parents resorting to violence. However, parents appealed for calm and advised all other schools to ensure the safety of their students.