He says the waves struck on a Sunday while his mother and little sister were shopping at the weekend market in Hambantota. They were swept away in a flash, as was his best friend. In fact, more than 2,000 people are thought to have died in the market that day. Lasitha was very close to his mother growing up.
海嘯來襲時正值星期天，媽媽和妹妹在漢班托塔的假日市集購物，而被瞬間捲走，最好的朋友也罹難了，估計光是那個市集中就損失了二千多條生命。