At least 11 killed in massive fire at elderly care home in Sri Lanka

Posted on by Taiwo Adebulu

2 min readJun 4, 2026 02:33 PM IST

At least 11 people were killed and seven others were injured after a fire broke out at an elderly care home in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported quoting the police. The blaze erupted close to 5:30 pm at the Mawpiya Sevana Elderly Care Home in Anguruwatota, located in Kalutara district, the news agency said. The fire was later doused with the assistance of residents and the police, it added.

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According to the police, 10 of the residents were found dead on the premises, while another succumbed to injuries after being admitted to the Horana Base Hospital. Seven others who were injured remain hospitalised.

Relocation ops underway

Till the last reports came in, 51 residents had been rescued from the facility. They were shifted to Batagoda School and emergency arrangements have been made to accommodate them, newsfirst.lk shared over a post on Facebook.

Arrangements are being made to relocate them to a further secure location, keeping their safety and well-being in mind, police said.

A total of 71 individuals were residing at the elderly home at the time of the incident.

Government begins probe

A magisterial inquiry was ordered into the incident, soon after the fire incident.

According to the newsfirst.lk Facebook post, the Government Analyst and the Horana Magistrate visited the site as part of the official inquiry, to determine the cause of the deadly blaze.

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Initial reports claimed that a gas cylinder exploded at the elderly care home, causing rapid spread of the fire. However, officials said the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

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