The driver of the SUV who narrowly escaped the deadly bus accident near Ella recently says the bus came “like a decorated pandal with lights, at lightning speed,” before colliding with his vehicle and plunging into a ravine, the Lankadeepa newspaper reported.
The crash occurred on the Ella–Wellawaya main road near the 15th milepost on September 4, killing 15 people and injuring 18.
Police said moments before the tragedy, the bus carrying municipal employees returning from a Nuwara Eliya excursion struck a luxury SUV carrying three brothers from Buttala. The siblings survived with only minor damage to their vehicle.
According to the newspaper, 22-year-old Chamindu Deshan, who was driving the Range Rover, said he and his younger brothers were returning home when the bus appeared suddenly.
“I saw the bus coming from Ella toward Wellawaya, lit up with flashing lights, speeding directly at me. I swerved left, but it clipped the right side of my vehicle and then vanished from sight,” he said.
Moments later, cries for help were heard from the ravine below. Deshan and his brothers, together with Sri Lanka Army personnel who arrived with ropes and flashlights, helped rescue several children and women trapped in the bus before emergency services reached the scene.
The brothers later gave statements to police, and Deshan was released on bail after being produced in court. Their vehicle sustained damage, but they escaped unhurt.
“Although our lives were spared, many innocent people lost theirs. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Deshan said. (Newswire)