Four Army soldiers rose to the occasion on Thursday (24) and rescued the lives of two toddlers who were thrown into the crocodile-infested Matara Nilwala River by an irate father.
Those four soldiers, Lance Corporal S.S Manage, Private E.H De Silva, Private H.K.C Madushanka, all three from Matara-based 3 Gemunu Watch (GW) and Private K.M.P.S Pushpakumara of Engineer Service Regiment (ESR), having heard of the commotion on the nearby bridge, had rushed to the scene to make inquiries. Excited members of the public had alerted them to both toddlers, by then trying to keep their heads above water while floating.
The four-year-old, Chathumika Dineshi and the two-year-old Vihansi Savindi were thrown into the Nilwala River by their father around 11.00 am on Thursday (24), but those four soldiers who were down below the bridge at that time, jumped into action, saved the lives and took them to the nearby Matara Hospital while giving first aid treatment to the victims.
The people on the bridge had shouted but no one had volunteered to jump into the river and rescue both children.
According to the Police, a dispute between the father and the mother of the children had led to the incident. The mother of the children had earlier lodged a complaint against her husband at the Dickwella Police saying that he was continuously harassing her after getting drunk.
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