Aussie student raped in Sri Lanka: reports

An Australian National University student has reportedly been raped by a tourist guide in Sri Lanka.

An Australian passport

(AAP)

A young Australian woman is believed to have been raped during a trip to a coastal town in southern Sri Lanka.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) did not give details of the incident but says it is in contact with a woman in the south Asian nation.

"We are providing consular assistance to a young Australian woman in Sri Lanka," a spokeswoman told AAP on Monday.

"The individual seeks privacy at this time."

Local news site ColomboPage reports the woman told police in the southern town of Ambalangoda that she had been raped on a beach by a tourist guide.

The site reports she is an Australian National University (ANU) student and was in the country as part of a group of 15 Australian students.

"The Ambalangoda Police says the suspect has fled the area and investigations are underway island wide to arrest him and to produce him before the court," the site reported.

An ANU spokesman said the university was aware of media reports and was investigating the incident.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world