The 23-year-old son of former Sri Lankan Olympic athlete Manura Lanka Kurunage and his 20-year-old girlfriend died instantly in a horrific Milan motorcycle accident after running a red light at high speed, with the victim’s final text message adding heartbreaking poignancy to the tragedy.
A tragic road accident in Milan, Italy, has claimed the lives of a young man of Sri Lankan origin and his girlfriend, an Italian national of Romanian descent. The fatal crash occurred between late Friday night and the early hours of Saturday, March 20 and 21, at the intersection of Viale Campania and Viale Corsica in the eastern part of Milan.
The victims have been identified as 23-year-old Mithun Sandeep Perera Kurunage, a Sri Lankan resident of Capannori in Lucca, Tuscany, and 20-year-old Elisa Teodora Dranca, an Italian of Romanian origin from Locate Triulzi near Milan. The couple was riding a high-powered Kawasaki Ninja 650 motorcycle when it collided with a taxi.
According to initial investigations by Milan’s local police and traffic authorities, Mithun was traveling southbound on Viale Campania toward Piazzale Corvetto at excessive speed. The traffic light system at the intersection was functioning correctly at the time, displaying a red signal for the direction the motorcycle was traveling. However, unable to control his speed or obey the signal, the motorcycle entered the intersection at high speed. At that moment, a taxi traveling with a green light from Corso XXII Marzo toward Viale Forlanini and Linate Airport was crossing the intersection, resulting in a violent collision.
The impact was so severe that the taxi, driven by a 61-year-old man, overturned near a tram stop. The high-powered motorcycle struck the vehicle with such force that the taxi flipped over. Mithun and Elisa were thrown several meters from the motorcycle and landed on the road. Emergency services, including the 118 ambulance service, police, and firefighters, arrived within minutes. However, both young people had already succumbed to their severe injuries, and all attempts to revive them failed. The taxi driver suffered minor injuries and shock and was hospitalized under code yellow, with his condition reported as non-serious.
Police are currently examining CCTV footage from the area as well as dash-cam footage from the taxi, which further confirms that the motorcycle running a red light was the primary cause of the accident.
Elisa Teodora Dranca had celebrated her 20th birthday just weeks earlier, on February 9. She worked at a store in Scalo Milano and had been saving money to pursue a marketing degree at Cattolica University next year. On the night of the accident, she had attended a birthday celebration at Cobà in the Navigli district with friends. She had intended to return home early, as she was scheduled to report for work at 10:00 a.m. the following day.
Mithun Sandeep, meanwhile, was a determined young man who had moved to Milan from Capannori in January to build his future. He worked at a real estate agency during the week and as a bartender on weekends. He had met Elisa only about a week earlier through her friend Anna, and the night of the accident was only their second meeting. After finishing work around 2:00 a.m., Mithun picked up Elisa on his motorcycle, and the couple shared a hamburger together before he set off to drop her home.
Heartbreakingly, before the crash, Elisa had sent a final text message to her friend Anna, which read: “Remember that I love you and will love you forever.” The message has moved many to tears.
Mithun Sandeep was not merely an ordinary young man. He was the eldest son of Manura Lanka Kurunage, a distinguished athlete who brought pride to Sri Lanka. Manura Lanka represented Sri Lanka at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was part of the 4×400 meter relay team that defeated Asia and set a Sri Lankan national record alongside Rohan Pradeep Kumara, V. Rathnakumar, and Ranga Wimalawansa. Manura Lanka and his family, including Mithun’s mother and his younger brother who had visited Sri Lanka with Mithun about three months ago, have been permanent residents of Italy for many years.
