A victim who survived the Ella bus accident has revealed that the driver had claimed a brake failure minutes before the incident.
The male victim said he was engaged in conversation with the driver and conductor, during which the driver had informed him of a brake failure while taking a bend.
He further said that the conductor and other passengers nearby had laughed at his comment and not taken it seriously.
“However, when he took the second bend, we realised there was no brake. The bus then crashed into a vehicle that had come in the opposite direction, after which it toppled into the precipice. I was unconscious for about an hour and woke up to the sound of a child crying. I couldn’t move. Later, the STF came and rescued us,” he revealed.
The victim made the revelation while speaking to the media from the Badulla Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
A total of 15 persons were killed and 18 were injured after a bus travelling towards Wellawaya had collided with a jeep and toppled into a 1000-foot precipice last night.
Around 30 people had been on board the bus at the time of the accident, while 06 men and 09 women had died in the incident.
The injured persons, comprising 6 men, 5 women, 3 male children, and 2 female children, have been admitted to the Badulla Hospital.
The accident occurred when the group was travelling from Tangalle to Ella on a leisure tour and was returning home. The Ella Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)