The giant precipice on a slope of the Kokagala Estate between Lunugala and Meegahakiula Divisional Secretariats, which is renowned as the Madulsima Mini World’s End has been a popular tourist hotspot for many years. The spectacular view of the cliff and the possibility of a camping site attracted many domestic and foreign visitors to the place. However, the danger underneath the beauty of the place was uncovered last week following a tragic incident.
Dinura Wijesundera, a resident of Maggona, Kalutara and also a graphic designer attached to Sirasa TV is a seasoned excursionist according to his family and friends. As his wife told media, he leads many of his friends on camping and trekking journeys sharing his knowledge and experience on such excursions. In other words, travelling close to nature was his passion.
However, this passionate traveller had to end his life in the precipice of Madulsima on Saturday (6).
He went to Madulsima with 11 others including six medical professionals who are his school mates. Everything went smoothly until heavy rains started to pour down in the early hours of Sunday. Their tents could not take the force of the rain and the group decided to run to their vehicles.
Everyone ran in the darkness and once they reached their vehicles, guess what… Dinura was missing!
The group tried their best to locate Dinura but failed in the heavy dark, mist and of course the rain. Finally, they climbed down the mountain and lodged a complaint at the Madulsima Police Station.
Madulsima police officers rushed to the place and in their initial investigations, suspected that Dinura might have slipped off from the mountain.
Thereafter, the responsibility of finding Dinura was assigned to the Army camp in Badulla.
The Sri Lanka Army Special Forces and 112 Brigade launched a search operation amid the inclement weather in search of the missing 35-year-old 3D animator.
For two days, search operations were carried out in the Lokantha area and the dense jungles of Pahala Bibila, Egoda Kotagama, Dorapoda and Rambaka areas. Operations failed on both ends due to the harsh weather.
Troops launched a search operation at a depth of about 1,200 feet on the third day, despite the inclement weather.
Under the supervision of the Chief of Defence Staff and Army Commander General Shavendra Silva and Commander Central Security Forces Major General Kumara Jayapathirana, Brigadier General, 112 Brigade, Brigadier Anura Dissanayake and Commander of Special Forces Brigade, Brigadier Thushara Mahalekamge led the search operation.
The Sri Lanka Air Force had also prepared an aircraft with ambulance facilities to be used if needed.
Completing the mission in the afternoon on Tuesday (9) the body of Dinura was found on a precipice 1,200 feet below the cliff. In the post mortem, it was revealed that Dinura had died due to multiple fractures to the body during the deadly fall.
Dinura is an old boy of Kalutara Maha Vidyalaya and is a talented guitarist and singer. He was married to Srimali Dharmapala, an attorney-at-law. As Srimali told the media, Dinura and she had bought a house in the Kalutara area recently, and the tragedy happened even before they could occupy the new house.