Bhagwanthalawa, August 4, 2025 — In a heart-wrenching tragedy, an eight-year-old boy lost his life yesterday after falling into an uncovered toilet pit near his home at the Kiw Estate in Bhagwanthalawa, police confirmed.
The child, a resident of the estate’s workers’ quarters, is believed to have accidentally slipped into the six-foot-deep pit while playing in the area during the afternoon. Neighbours rushed to the scene after hearing distress calls, but despite efforts to rescue him, the boy was pronounced dead upon being pulled out.
Police from the Norwood station arrived promptly and have launched an inquiry into the incident. The body was sent to the Nuwara Eliya District Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
“This is not just an accident — it’s a failure of basic safety,” said a local community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Many of these families live without proper sanitation or child-safe infrastructure.”
Estate workers and residents mourned the loss and called for immediate intervention to improve living conditions and safety standards across the region’s estate communities.
Authorities said further investigations are underway and have urged estate managements across the district to ensure that all open pits and unsafe structures are secured without delay to prevent further loss of life.
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