Veteran actress dies in road accident

Veteran actress Hyacinth Wijeratne passed away in a fatal road accident in the Lindula area on the Nuwara Eliya-Talawakelle road on Friday (30) night, police said.

Ms.Wijeratne was 75 year old at the time of her demise. According to Police Spokesman SDIG Ajith Rohana the van she was travelling in had veered off the road and plunged into a precipice on Friday night.The accident took place while heading to Colombo after filming of a tele-drama in Nuwara Eliya, police said.

Lidula police have arrested the driver who escaped the accident without injury. According to police, the driver has fallen asleep while driving and that the driver will be produced before Nuwara Eliya Magistrate.  Ms. Wijeratne’s body lies at the Lindula divisional hospital for the post mortem to be conducted by Nuwara Eliya District Hospital’s Judicial Medical Officer.

Starting off her acting career in the late 1970s she was a well-known character in films and tele-dramas till the time of her demise. Gedara Budun Amma, Chandi Petavu, Karumakkarayo, Guru Geethaya, Dhawala Pavura, Suparna were among the many films.

She acted in the award winning film Ho Gaana Pokuna in 2015. Ms. Wijeratne played the role of lady Mallika Dharmagunawardhana, mother of Anagarika Dharmapala in the film Anagarika Dharmapala Srimathano in 2014.

She was among the total of 12 deaths from road traffic accidents reported on Friday from all over the country. (Pix by Ranjith Rajapaksa and G. Krishanthan from Hatton)