A private passenger bus traveling from Colombo to Welimada veered off the road and crashed into a rock before overturning across the roadway early this morning (18) in the Nayamadiththa area of Uva Thenna, Haldummulla.
The driver was killed in the accident, while eight others—including a woman and a small child—were injured, according to the Haldummulla Police.
Police said the driver was not wearing a seat belt, and that the door beside the driver’s seat suddenly opened, causing him to panic and lose control of the bus. The vehicle then ran off the road, struck a rock, and overturned across the roadway.
The driver was reportedly thrown out of the bus and dragged across the road before being trapped beneath the vehicle. Although local residents rescued him and rushed him to hospital with critical injuries, he later succumbed.
Four injured passengers, including a seven-year-old child, have been transferred to the Diyatalawa Base Hospital for further treatment. (NewsWire)
