(UTV | COLOMBO) – 10 Gajaba Regiment troops with Special Forces rescued 11 civilians who had gone missing under the influence of liquor in the general area of Minipe Ela in Hasalaka after they crossed the waterways and walked towards the jungles.
After those drunk civilians went there, the fall of heavy rains and rise of water levels in Minipe waterways had spilled and flooded disrupting the return passage of those civilians, causing panic among their loved ones and family members.
Responding to the emergency, those troops rushed to the location and managed to cross to the other side of the waterway and traced the whereabouts of those civilians, found stranded in different spots under trees.
They had reportedly lost their way with torrential rains and rising water levels and moved out in different directions.
After SOS signals, the troops on the directions of Major General Ranjan Lamahewa, Commander, Security Forces-Central and the General Officer Commanding 11 Division guided the troops to carry out the rescue operation.
After about five hours, troops were able to locate all of them and bring them to their residential areas across spilling water levels.