Child drowns during school swimming session
A 5-year-old student of Keble College International, Nugegoda, has tragically drowned during a school swimming session, the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital has confirmed.
The boy, aged 5 years and 2 months is a resident of Mirihana, Thalapathpitiya, and had recently been enrolled at the school located on No. 17, Thalapathpitiya Road, Nugegoda.
Yesterday (Oct. 08), around 30 students from the school attended a swimming session at the Sanhinda Leisure Centre pool, located at 247, A4 Stanley Thilakarathna Mawatha, Nugegoda.
Police noted that the child had no prior swimming experience and that the coach at the session was not the usual swimming coach.
Father holds school responsible for son’s death
The child’s father – Pradeep Herath, told ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’ that the school should be held fully responsible for his son’s death.
He added that he had sent his son swimming after completely placing his trust on the school.
Mr. Herath explained that although around 30 children are supervised by 02 instructors during swimming sessions, only one instructor had been present on that day.
Although the child was supposed to be taken to the children’s swimming pool, he had been taken to the deeper swimming pool, where a staff member in the area had later seen him floating on the water.
Mr. Herath said that his older daughter and the coach had taken the boy out of the pool and as told by the daughter, the boy had been unconscious by the time he was taken to hospital.
The hospital had informed him that the child had already passed away about 20 minutes before admission.
Keble College International School is operated by K.D.A. Weerasinghe and Co. (Pvt) Ltd.
The principal, Vijayani Weerasinghe, is also a director of the company.
The board of directors includes K.D.A. Weerasinghe as chairman, with Menuwan Weerasinghe and Sineth Weerasinghe serving as other board members, according to the company’s official website.
