Army evacuates stranded devotees

Irangika Range

The Sri Lanka Army evacuated devotees stranded due to floods caused by heavy rains at the historic Somawathiya area in Polonnaruwa, by deploying military vehicles. Nearly 400,000 devotees who came in around 30,000 vehicles to participate in religious observances at this Buddhist site on May 8 and 9 were trapped as a result of floods.

Therefore, soldiers attached to the Security Forces Headquarters in the Eastern Province on the directives of its Commander Major General Susil Udumalagala took measures to rescue devotees who had been affected by floods in the Somawathi area.

Devotees were provided with food and drinking water by soldiers.

Sri Lanka Army medical teams had rushed to the area to provide medical treatment for those in need.

Most of devotees who were stranded in the area were provided money to go back to their villages by the Armed Forces.

Soldiers also used backhoes to pull the vehicles which were stuck in the mud as a result of the floods.

Meanwhile,the SLAF helicopters helped airlift devotees trapped in the area for safety.