CID records statements from witnesses over Kosgama fire
June 11, 2016 04:27 pm
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has recorded statements from over 40 persons regarding last Sunday’s fire at the Salawa Army Camp in Kosgama.
Apart from the CID, a Ministry of Defence investigation team consisting with senior military officials of the tri forces and a Court of Inquiry appointed by the Commander of the Army are conducting separate investigations on the incident.
Following preliminary inquiries, the questioning of witnesses was commenced and so far statements have been recorded from 42 persons, a senior officer at the CID told Ada Derana.
All witnesses questioned so far are members of the Sri Lanka Army who were on duty at the camp at the time of the incident, he said.
The CID officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that investigations at the scene of the fire will commence next week.
One soldier was killed, seven civilians suffered injuries and thousands of people were evacuated after the fire and a series of explosions at one of country’s biggest ammunition dumps, where the army stores heavy weapons.
The cause was not immediately known and the government ordered an investigation by the police criminal investigation department (CID).
An army Court of Inquiry is going into the circumstances that led to the fire
The fire, which emanated at the Salawa Army camp ammunition depot at about 5.45 p.m. on Sunday, lasted over seven hours while about 1,785 families were affected by the fire.
State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, travelled to Kosgama on an inspection visit to look into the matters of affected people yesterday (10).
