Three holidaymakers, two young children aged eight (08) years (girl), thirteen (13) years (boy) and a woman aged forty one (41) years, had been rescued by two naval persons with the help of some fishermen around 1130 hrs, on 24th August 2008, as they were drowning in the sea whilst bathing in the picturesque sea at kirinda in the southern seas. The Great Basses Light House and the Little Basses Lighthouse are situated just 10 and 26 nautical miles off from Kirinda Fishing Harbour.

Nobody involved in the incident had been interested in gaining publicity over this heroic activity and therefore remained unheard for, the sources from Kirinda Naval Detachment say.

The group had been going on a trip and had got into sea with the hope of bathing, but unfortunately had started drowning. A member of the group had shouted and screamed that some people are drowning and the crowd had been afraid to get into sea. However, a fisherman out the some fishermen returning after fishing on board a dinghy had jumped into the sea in order to help them, though his valiant attempt had been unsuccessful.

The officer and the petty officer who happened to be close by accidentally had run there, jumped into the sea and rescued the children first with the help of the fishermen on the dinghy and thereafter the woman. Immediate first aid and medical attention was given to them by the medical assistant at the naval deployment and they were all taken to the Tissamaharama hospital; and the woman had been transferred to the Hambanthota General hospital thereafter, as her condition was critical.

The condition of all the three is now stable, sources further added.