The Sri Lankan police and the armed forces launched a joint operation in the Godagama and Kahawa areas Sunday in a final attempt to recover remains of victims of the tsunami train tragedy, official Daily News reported on Monday.

Police said that around 150 police personnel were engaged in the search assisted by the army, navy and inhabitants of the surrounding villages.

The operation was launched following the discovery of the skeletal remains of around 16 people who were believed to have perished when the tsunami waves washed away the Matara bound train on Dec. 26.

The remains are reported to have been found from marshy lands near the place of the accident.

According to the Transport Ministry, the ill-fated Colombo-Matara express train was transporting around 1,500 people when tsunami waves hit the Southern coastal areas.

However, police fear that the death toll will be more since villagers fleeing for their lives are also believed to have boarded the train.

So far, a Matara bound train has reported nearly 1,000 deaths after the tsunami.
 
(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2005)