Thirteen die in Sri Lanka nursing home fire; patients reportedly chained

A fire at an unregistered nursing home in Anguruwatota, Sri Lanka, killed 13 residents and injured eight others. The tragedy has ignited public outrage over the alleged mistreatment of residents.

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You only have to take your eyes away for one moment [and] they run away.

According to a nursing home worker, Danuja Chathuranga, at least two residents were chained. "One was untied and rescued, while the other died," he said. He explained that patients, many receiving psychiatric treatment, were sometimes restrained to prevent them from running away or falling. "Our intention was not to harm them," he stated, adding that the staff felt responsible if patients were injured after escaping.

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One of them had gone one day with the chair he was tied [to] and was found entangled in a barbed wire fence

The nursing home, a burned-out shell, housed 71 people despite having beds for only about 15. The facility was unregistered, though government officials and institutions had worked with it. The home's chief administrator, Amala Rajapaksa, said residents were referred from the state's main mental hospital, courts, and police. However, a director from Sri Lanka's National Secretariat for Elders confirmed the facility had been warned to comply with laws and guidelines due to overcrowding.

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Our intention was not to harm them. They were patients receiving psychiatric treatment.

Rajapaksa mentioned the home was in the process of being registered. Her stepson, Isuru Anushka Perera, now detained for negligence, had previously promoted the homes on social media. Twenty-one survivors were transferred to another facility managed by the same organization.

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If they run away or fall into a pit, well or get run over by a vehicle, we have to take that responsibility.