COLOMBO: Twelve people have died in a fire at a home for older people in Sri Lanka, police said on Thursday, while another eight have been hospitalised.

The fire, which broke out at a home in Anguruwatota (55 km or 34 miles from Colombo), has been put out and the director of the establishment has been arrested, police said.

“A total of 51 people were rescued from the home and they are being looked after by the military and public officials in the area,” police spokesperson Frederick Wootler said. Two police teams are conducting further investigations, he added.

The owner of an illegally operated care home in Sri Lanka was remanded in custody Thursday.

Isuru Anushka, of the Maupiya Sewana home, was ordered to be held until June 11 as investigations opened into Wednesday’s fire, one of the deadliest on the island for decades.

A magisterial inquiry into the incident was told by officials that the facility was not authorised to operate as a care home and had not met the minimum standards set by regulators.

“Police have been ordered to investigate violations of regulations governing the care of the elderly,” an officer told reporters following a preliminary court hearing.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2026