Abdulaziz Abdul Rahman Al-Jammaz, Saudi ambassador to Sri Lanka, told Arab News over the phone that the deceased was Abdullah Al-Heej, a 32-year-old diplomat who had been serving at the Saudi mission in Colombo over the past two-and-a-half years.
Al-Heej was working as an accountant at the Colombo mission, the envoy said.
The ambassador said that he had called for a full-scale investigation to ascertain the cause of death.
Al-Jammaz said that the body would be flown to the Kingdom immediately upon the completion of the inquiry.
Al-Jammaz said that the entire mission in Colombo was in a state of shock over the death of Al-Heej, who was well liked among his peers. The mission will coordinate with the Foreign Ministry in Colombo to sort out matters related to his death.
The police said the diplomat was believed to have suffered a heart attack and fell into the pool of the apartment complex at Adamaly Place in Colombo.
Arab News learned that Bambalapitiya police ruled out foul play and insisted that the diplomat died of natural causes. The police said that an investigation is underway.
An official from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry confirmed the diplomat's death. “We will be assisting the Saudi mission in Colombo in repatriating the body," he said.
Arab News learned that the diplomat's family in Jeddah wants to bring the body home.
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