Wellawatta building owner remanded
May 21, 2017 03:42 pm
The owner of the building that collapsed in Wellawatta leaving 2 dead and another 21 injured, has been remanded till May 26 by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court.
The businessman was arrested after he had surrendered to Wellawatta Police and produced at the Mount Lavinia Magistrates Court today (21).
Following the tragic incident, Police had been looking for the owner of the building in question, a popular banquet hall by the name The Excellency located near Savoy Cinema on Charlemont Road, for questioning.
Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka said the casualties could have been much higher if the hall had been hosting a wedding at the time of its collapse, and that the owners would face criminal charges.
“This wedding hall is a clear example of the dangers posed by unauthorised construction in Colombo,” the minister told reporters on Friday. “A structural failure led to the collapse.”
