A vallam boat capsized in Kalpitiya Lagoon on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two children, while a man drowned separately off a beach in Velanai the same day.

A tragic boating incident claimed the lives of two children in the Kurakkanhena area of Kalpitiya on Tuesday afternoon. The victims, a seven-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, drowned when their family's vallam boat overturned in the lagoon, according to police reports. The family had been on the water to retrieve fishing nets when the vessel capsized unexpectedly.

The children's father was pulled from the water and transported to Puttalam Hospital, where he received medical attention for his condition. The Kalpitiya Police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the capsizing.

In a separate incident on the same day, a 52-year-old man from Kokkuvil drowned while swimming at Charty beach in the Velanai area, which falls under the Kayts Police Division. The Kayts Police have begun their own inquiry into this drowning. The two incidents underscore ongoing water safety concerns in the island's coastal regions.