Owner of collapsed building arrested

The police yesterday morning arrested Anura Lewke, the owner of the five-storey building, which collapsed on a house recently at Buwelikade, Kandy, killing three members of the same family.

The suspect is a former Basnayake Nilame of the Natha Devalaya, Dodanwala. The victims were a man, his wife and their one-month-old daughter. The suspect was to be produced before the Kandy Magistrate.

The collapse of the five-storey building in Kandy has caused much concern among the residents in the district, especially those who have built houses on slopes which are now considered unstable.

The Governor of the Central Province has gone on record as saying that there are over 200 buildings, including houses, at risk of collapse.