Sri Lanka care home owner remanded after fire kills 12

The owner of an illegally operated care home in Sri Lanka was remanded in custody on Thursday, a day after a fire killed 12 residents and injured six others, officials said.

Isuru Anushka, of the Maupiya Sewana home located south of the capital Colombo, was ordered to be held until 11 June as investigations opened into Wednesday's fire, one of the deadliest on the island for decades.

A magisterial inquiry into the incident was told by officials that the facility was not authorised to operate as a care home and had not met the minimum standards set by regulators.

"Police have been ordered to investigate violations of regulations governing the care of the elderly," an officer told reporters following a preliminary court hearing.

The inquiry was also told that 11 residents of the home were burnt to death at the home, while the 12th victim succumbed to severe burns at a local hospital.

Another six escaped with complications from smoke inhalation.

Forensic experts combed through the wreckage of the single-storey building and discovered seven charred bodies on Thursday morning, raising the death toll to 12 from the initial five on Wednesday.

A photographer with the AFP news agency reported seeing the owner in handcuffs being escorted to the scene on Thursday, as police interviewed survivors and neighbours.

In addition to elderly residents, the facility also housed young people with mental health issues.

The youngest victim was a 17-year-old boy, police said.

Police said initial witness accounts suggested that the fire originated in a storeroom where dozens of mattresses were stacked.

Police spokesman Frederick Wootler said 51 residents and staff rescued on Wednesday had been moved to a nearby government school.