Two people have died following a collision between a lorry and a bowser in the Apareka area on the Southern Expressway today.
The Police said a lorry transporting solar power panels that was travelling towards Mattala had been stopped on the side of the highway with the assistant of the vehicle inspecting if the panels had been locked in place.
A bowser transporting fuel that was also travelling in the same direction had crashed onto the parked lorry from behind, killing the lorry assistant on the spot.
The driver and the assistant of the bowser who had sustained serious injuries in the accident had been admitted to the Matara Hospital for treatment during which the driver of the bowser had died.
The deceased lorry assistant has been identified as a 72-year-old resident of Kadawatha, while the driver of the bowser has been identified as a 61-year-old resident of Gonawela.
The bodies of the two men have been placed at the mortuary of the Matara Hospital, while the Malimbada Police is conducting further investigations into the accident. (NewsWire)