British ruggerites who come to Sri Lanka on tour ... die mysteriously in hotel!

British ruggerites who come to Sri Lanka on tour ...

die mysteriously in hotel!

Police investigations are underway in relation to two ruggerites of a rugger team who had come to Sri Lanka last 10th for a tournament. They had died as a result of suffocation in the hotel where they were staying.

A team comprising 22 rugger players had arrived here in the company of a manager and they had

lodged at a popular hotel in Fort, police reports say. Two days after their arrival here they had even participated at a friendly game in a playground in Colombo last 12th. A dinner had been held at that playground complex that day and after all of them had been present on that occasion they had returned to the said hotel around 10.30 that day, it is learned. Subsequently they had set off to a night club in Colpetty that night with the idea of having some fun.

Some of those among that crowd had come to the hotel from time to time and two of the players had come to the hotel at approximately 4 in the morning and had shown some difficulty in breathing around 10 in the morning, it was reported. As a result of this condition the hotel management had taken steps to admit the two players to a hospital in Colombo for treatment. During the period of treatment, one player had passed away around 12 in the afternoon, police report. A British national aged 26 years named Harvard Thomas Andrew had passed away in this manner. The other British player aged 27 years named Best Thomas Reid had been in a serious condition.

Presently the dead bodies are lying at the Colombo National Hospital mortuary. The post-mortem was expected to be conducted on the 13th. Fort police are conducting further inquiries.