The injured wife of Kelaniya University Senior Lecturer Dr. Gunendra Gayantha, who was killed in the Central Expressway accident, passed away this morning (26) while receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital.
Sasitha Nilanthi succumbed to her injuries sustained in the tragic road accident that occurred yesterday. With her death, the death toll in the accident has risen to three, leaving their three young children orphaned.
The accident took place on the 18th while the family was returning from a pilgrimage to Nagadeepa in Jaffna. Dr. N.D.G. Gunendra Gayantha, Head of the Psychology Unit of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Kelaniya, was traveling with his wife, three children, and other relatives in a van when it collided with a lorry on the Central Expressway.
Dr. Gayantha, aged 46, a beloved father of three, died at the scene. His cousin — the younger brother of his wife also died later while receiving treatment.
According to police, the accident occurred when the van, traveling from Kurunegala towards Mirigama, lost control and collided with the back of a lorry moving in the same direction.
The sudden passing of Dr. Gayantha, who left a lasting impact on thousands of university students, is an irreparable loss to the University of Kelaniya and the entire nation.
