Human Development Centre - HUDEC

"I lost my two children together, how can I bear the loss of them"
"My 3 Children went to play with the kite & now I lost two of them"

Says K.AKILATHASAN (40), father of diseased children with lots of anguish.

He further said, "Krushanthan (10), Indujan (3) & Prashanthan (11) went together to play at the sea side with kite. That time I was at the market. When the sea suddenly rose high washed them together but Prashanth unexpectedly caught the Palmyrah tree, but other two were washed away.”

KRISHNESWARY (40) mother of them continued, my another two daughters, Krushica (8) and Thiviya (6) were with me at that time and we ran together with the other people, and I thought my other children too were also ran with others,

But "I lost my two children together, how can I bear the loss of them"

“Appa’s sister Mamy – S.Meenandchy (84), My Sister Pakiyaletchumy (51) Machal- Saraswathy (66) all three drowned in the giant sea waves”

N.Sanmugathasan (34) son of Velan Nadarasa (78) related his shocking experience.

“Mamy is only able to walk a few yards, that time Akka was ready to cook and instantly sea water came inside the house and everyone ran for safety”

“Appa’s sister Mamy – S.Meenandchy (84), My Sister Pakiyaletchumy (51) Machal- Saraswathy (66) all three drowned into the sea”. Sanmugathasan continued “only two months now, that we entered this new house - our own house and now nothing is there except the foundation.

Nadarasa said “water covered us fully and we were drowned, rolled by the waves, caught into barbed wires and tree branches. Later Arudchelvi (26) my daughter in law (Marumagal) was found with lots of injuries due to roof sheets collapsed on her”

Selvarasa (52) husband of diseased Pakiyaletchumy, says “When water entered into the house we started to run, we were caught and trapped by barbed wires and hit by concrete walls”. “Yesterday (31/12/04) we found my wife’s body, she died because the house was collapsed on her, we found her body under the shattered concrete blocks. Her body was found trapped under the concrete blocks and we found others on the road”. Chardramathan (19) got injuries on his eye.

Suthaharan Kanchana (30) lost her husband in an accident earlier, and now lost her mother Saraswathy (66) and left with 3 kids; Raguwarman (8), Thisara (4) and Gayanthiri (12). Kanchana continued "Amma was washed away with the waves". “I gave breakfast to Amma, as she was running a small boutique at sea side and I came back home. When I went to wash my face, flood of seawater came inside the house I carried Gayanthiri (12) and ran out. Gayanthiri's both legs are affected due to polio and she is unable to walk.

“Where will I find my two months old daughter”

Sivakaran (28) “where will I find my two months old daughter”
Seawater washed away the infant Sugirtha (2 month).

He relates “I went for fishing on the previous day at about 6 p.m. and came back to shore in the morning about 7.00. I did not notice any unusual nature in the sea. I was categorising fish we caught and I saw sea water rose suddenly, I ran towards my house which was 150 m away, but before I reached the house a wall high wave swept me away, I was floating and then another wave, I was able to catch the Palmyrah tree. Within seconds everything is washed away. I found my wife in the water. I thought dead, but she was alive and now admitted to the General Hospital /Jaffna. We got married 1 ¹/₂ years ago, all my property, my house destroyed and with my sweet baby Sugirtha.

"The sea which fed us now took away our beloved seven”

“Son, Marumagal (daughter in law), three grand children, my sister and Sinnamma (father’s sister) all were swept away in the harsh sea which fed us now took away our beloved” - An elderly lady stretched out her legs and seated on the floor said.

Kandiah Ambalam (62) - said, “I could not run. My children thought ‘A TANK’ was coming, and went out of the house to make sure. (The people in the North aremostly familiar and used to the sound of security forces' Tank; supersonic, bombers' etc.) I do not know what had happened to them". "That was the last time I saw them”.

Son- Thesingarasa (31), Marumagal Ilavarasi (26) six months pregnant, Jeyaruban Jegavanitha (13), J.Dharshica (11), S.Sharmila (10), Sinammah, Amarawathy (57), the seven of them were captured by the hungry waves.

She continued “My first daughter-in-law is now in the G.H/J, and J.Krisharubika (9), my grand child, her leg is broken and admitted to the G.H/J”.

Another daughter–in–law said “I saw the ‘plastic’ (out motor boat) came over our house which was on the sea side. I ran inside the house and got up on the bed. My father was taken with the waves and feel in to the well, and the next consequent wave washed him out of the well and he was able catch a tree branch”.

Anni (mother of two children died) was found without any cloths, on the seaside we covered her with the bed sheet and took her to the GH/J. One Nurse offered a hospital clothe to be put on her while she was taken to the Intensive
Care Unit, “she is still in a critical condition. She did not even know that her two children were dead”

“Went to play with kite and went for ever with that to the sky now”

Kanathasan Ushamalar (32), the mother of Nitharshan (10) (down with fever) said "Nitharshan was behind our house playing with kite. Water swept me away unexpectedly, water was up to waist high, luckily I was able to catch the other three children to a higher place. Then I went bake to look for my son Nitharshan behind the house, though I know for sure he wouldn't be there”

According to Vishnushs - a volunteer helper in this welfare centre:
All the 33 diseased were close relatives. They all lived closely at seashore. Wall high seawater came inside the village up to a distance of 500m. Most of them were carried out by the sea wave, trapped and caught into the barbed wires. The youth, members of LTTE and the Sri Lanka army helped to recover the bodies. The school principal said, 7 children from this Sivapragas Vidyalam died in this incident. He was helping all the people accommodated in this school came from Thumpalai East.