11 Brand-New Imports Torched at Hambantota Port — Who Eats the Loss?

A lightning strike hit the vehicle storage yard at Hambantota International Port around 9pm on October 31, sparking a fire that damaged 11 imported cars before port security got it under control. No one was hurt, but port police have opened an investigation and the actual financial loss and which models were hit haven't been made public yet. One side says this is exactly what storage and marine insurance is for — the importer or the port's insurer absorbs it, genuinely wrecked units get written off, and nothing damaged ever reaches a buyer. The other side points to flood and accident cars that routinely get patched up and sold as "slightly used" with zero disclosure, and asks why fire-damaged stock sitting at a port yard for weeks would be treated any differently — especially wiring, sensors and ECUs that can fail months later with no visible sign at a test drive. If you're shopping reconditioned or brand-new import stock over the next few months, would it even occur to you to ask a dealer if a unit sat through a yard fire or flood before reaching the showroom? What do you actually check to rule it out? ගින්නකින් හානි වූ වාහනයක් බඳේ අලුතෙන් විකුණනවද කියලා ඔබ දන්නවද? ඒක හඳුනාගන්න මොනවද බලන්නේ?