Fire accident at Neliwada Village
Nine houses were burnt affecting 44 people including 14 children and 10 dependents in Neliwada village at around midday on the 1 February 2018. The houses belonged to the Toddy tappers (Yatha) community living in this village. Since this took place in the afternoon, most people were away at work and therefore no one sustained any burn injuries and no life was lost. All the houses had thatched roofs. Out of 9 houses burnt, 5 were completely reduced to ashes and 4 houses were partially damaged. The victims have moved to temporary shelters. The church in Gotlam provided support in the form of food grain and basic clothing, towels and bed sheets. Bridge of Hope provided financial support to initiate the construction. Foundations were laid for all the nine houses. The government assured support in the form of loans for reconstruction of the houses. The process is quicker since the foundations had already been laid for these houses.
