• 60 students hospitalised over smoke inhalation

A fire broke out inside a chemical factory on Veedi Mawatha in Kandana last morning (8), leaving one person dead.

At least 60 students were hospitalised after inhaling toxic smoke from the fire that erupted inside a chemical factory in Kandana last morning. It is reported that the smoke had spread across a large area in the vicinity of the factory, causing dozens of students from three nearby schools to fall ill from smoke inhalation. Accordingly, at least 60 students from the St. Sebastian’s Balika Maha Vidyalaya, St. Sebastian Girls’ Primary School, and St. Sebastian’s Boys’ Primary College have been admitted to the Colombo North Teaching Hospital in Ragama. Public health inspectors in Ja-Ela, army personnel, and residents of the area rendered assistance to rush the students to the hospital for immediate medical attention.

The fire broke out inside the factory on Dewa Thotupola Road in Kandana at around 7.30 a.m. yesterday.

The deceased was identified as the accountant of the factory, a 50-year-old who was residing in Ganemulla. He had been inside the building when the fire erupted.

The cause of the fire, which gutted the chemical factory, is yet to be ascertained, however, the Kandana Police is investigating the matter further.

Firefighters of the Gampaha and Kandana fire stations as well as the navy camp in Welisara managed to douse the fire after a two-hour-long joint effort.