The bodies of six persons out of the eight who were dragged away by a strong gush of water while bathing in the Telgamuwa stream on Saturday have so far been found.
The victims were two businessmen and their family members.
The bodies recovered on Saturday were of two men, two women and two girls. The bodies of two more girls are yet to be found.
The incident occurred on Saturday above the Vedda Peni Ella water fall at Etanwala.
The deceased were Kingsley Ratnayaka (38) (owner of an ice cream factory), his two daughters Chinuke (13) and Hiruni (4) and his mother-in-law M. Chandrakanthi (59).
The other businessman, Uduwarage Ravindra Lasanatha (39), and his wife Ruwani Dilrukshi, a schoolteacher (38) and daughters Rishadi Wageesha (12) and Dimashi Vidusha (8) also died. His only son Adeetha Methsara (5) survived.
Sources said that when they got into water it was only one foot deep, but suddenly the water level rose to about five feet. The swelling waters engulfed the bathers and it was a common occurrence here.
The police with the assistance of the residents in the area braving the cold, rain, the fog, risked their lives to look for the missing persons.
The Naval personnel, soldiers attached to the Maduru Oya Army SF detachment, policemen belonging to the Laggala and Rattota police stations, employees of the Divisional Secretariat and Grama Niladharis took part in the operation to recover the bodies.
