Sri Lanka Army has deployed a special engineering team to clean all particles thrown around from the Army Camp in Kosgama during the fire.

Former Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage who was granted bail for illegal possession of an elephant calf has arrived at the CID to give a statement.

Top Army investigators also looked into the standards maintained at the central arms and ammunition dump at Veyangoda yesterday (06) in the course of their inquiry into the blast and the fire at the sub ammunition dump at Salawa, Kosgama.

Chief of staff Maj. Gen. Milinda Peiris early morning visited the site for an inspection and later recommended several measures that should be taken immediately.

Housed at the formerly Veytex textile company premises at Veyangoda, the central arms and ammunition dump keeps more than 15,000 tons of ammunition, but the standards maintained there were worse than at the sub ammunition dump at Salawa, Kosgama, Army sources say.

Thousands of civilian families live in the immediate vicinity of the Veyangoda facility.

Previously, a decision was taken to shift it to Oyamaduwa in Anuradhapura and Palugaswewa in Rambewa.

Army claims proper standards

However, the Army says ammunition dumps are maintaining proper standards.

Military spokesman Brig. Jayanath Jayaweera says the destruction was limited due to the proper standards maintained at the sub ammunition dump at Salawa.

He was responding to inquiries by BBC Sandeshaya about allegations that the premises, formerly the plywood corporation, was not suitable to house an ammunition dump.

The building complex was restructured to suit the needs of the Army, he claimed.

Observations by a preliminary court of hearing could help determine the causes for the explosion and the fire, said Jayaweera.

He added that this particular explosion was similar to the blast that took place at the Vavuniya Army camp in 2009.

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