The Supreme Court has fixed September 11 to confirm facts in a fundamental rights petition filed by the father of a student who died in a bus accident involving Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) students in Badulla in 2024.

It is reported that the petition seeks compensation, alleging that the accident violated the fundamental rights of his son and two other students who lost their lives. 

The case was taken up before a three‑judge bench comprising Arjuna Obeyesekere, Dr. Sobitha Rajakaruna, and Menaka Wijesundara.

The respondents named include the Vice Chancellor of KDU, members of the Senate, and the driver of the bus, who has been directed to file objections if any.

According to the petitioner, his son was pursuing a Quantity Surveying degree and had joined a field trip to Badulla in November 2024. At Ambagaha Junction, the bus met with a fatal accident, killing three students and injuring several others.

Investigations revealed that the bus, manufactured in 1992 and registered in Sri Lanka in 2020, had a poorly maintained braking system. Technical defects prevented the driver from controlling the vehicle, leading to the tragedy. At the time, 41 passengers, including KDU students, were on board.

The petitioner argues that the accident was caused by the negligence of the respondents and requests the Court to declare a violation of fundamental rights and order suitable compensation. (Newswire)

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One person has been reported dead in the bus accident in Hatton today.

According to the Police, the victim is a 70-year-old man. 

The Police further said that 34 others have been injured and steps have been taken to admit them to the hospital. 

The incident occurred when a passenger transport bus fell into a precipice in the Badalgala area on the Hatton – Dayagama Road. 

The Police added that investigations are underway into the incident. (Newswire)

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A 16-year-old child has been reported dead in a bus accident near the Jaya Ganga area in Thalawa, Thambuththegama, early this morning.

According to the Police, 39 others were injured after the passenger bus had toppled.

The injured persons are receiving treatment at the Thalawa and Anuradhapura Hospitals. 

Earlier, media reports claimed that five people had died following the accident, but the Police have clarified that only one person was killed in the incident. (Newswire)

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Governor of Uva Province, Kapila Jayasekara, has expressed his appreciation for the support provided by the Muslim community following the tragic bus accident on the Ella–Wellawaya road that claimed the lives of fifteen individuals. 

Following the accident, Muslim religious leaders and community members from areas including Diyatalawa, Bandarawela, Welimada, Bakinigahawela, and Badulla had offered free funeral transport services to carry the remains of the deceased to Tangalle.

Governor Kapila Jayasekara visited the Anwar Jumma Mosque in Badulla last week (12 Sept) to express appreciation for the support provided by the Muslim community.

During his visit, the Governor met with Muslim religious leaders and members of the Muslim community and extended his heartfelt gratitude to all who had assisted in various ways during the aftermath of the tragedy. (Newswire/ Image- Dinamina)

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The owner of the bus involved in the recent tragic accident in Ella has been arrested by the Police.

According to the Police, the man was arrested for failing to properly maintain the vehicle used in public transportation. 

The 41-year-old resident of Angunukolapelessa was arrested by the Ella Police yesterday. 

He is due to be produced before the Bandarawela Magistrate’s Court today. 

A total of 15 people were killed and 18 were injured after the bus hit an SUV and fell into a precipice in Ella last week (04). 

At the time of the accident, the bus was carrying municipal employees and their families returning from a Nuwara Eliya excursion. (Newswire)

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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)

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The conductor of the bus involved in the accident in Ella on Thursday claims that the driver informed him of a brake malfunction prior to the accident.

Speaking to the media, the conductor, who survived the deadly accident, said that while driving downhill, the driver had informed him that the brakes were failing.

He further said that they had managed to come downhill and that the bus had toppled into a precipice while attempting to overtake a tipper truck. 

“While coming downhill, he said the brakes were down. We somehow managed to come downhill. Then, when trying to overtake a tipper truck, the accident occurred. We were not driving at high speed,” he said. 

The conductor made the revelation while speaking to the media from the hospital where he is receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the accident. 

As of now, 15 people are reported dead and 18 were injured in the accident that occurred last night. (Newswire)

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A Special Forces soldier of the Sri Lanka Army has been recognized for his brave attempt to save three victims of the bus accident in Ella on Thursday. 

According to information received by the army, the first group of soldiers arrived at the accident site near Ravana Falls around 9:20 PM.

At the scene, a large crowd had gathered and among them was a young man wearing a Special Forces T-shirt, who took leadership of a small group and began rescuing the victims.

It is reported that four deceased individuals and three injured persons were trapped above the location where the bus had come to a halt after toppling into a precipice. 

Despite the extreme difficulty of reaching the site, almost impossible for an ordinary person, the young man had climbed down and carried all the deceased and injured individuals to safety, without regard for his own life.

While rappelling down with one of the injured victims, the man had struck his head on a rock and sustained a serious injury. It is reported that even in pain, he continued to assist in the rescue operation.

Following the rescue mission, he was later given initial medical treatment and admitted to Badulla Hospital.

It was later found that the individual was Lance Corporal W.M.V.M. Bandara of the 2nd Special Forces Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.

The officer who was home on leave had responded to the accident, which occurred near his residence, helping rescue the victims.

As of now, 15 people, including the driver, were killed and 18 were injured in the tragic accident. (Newswire)

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The driver of the SUV that had collided with the bus in Ella prior to it toppling into a precipice has been taken into custody in connection with the accident. 

The Police said the driver of the SUV had been arrested on charges of negligence and failure to prevent the accident.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Local Government, Ruwan Senarath, states that 13 employees of the Tangalle Urban Council have died in the Ella bus accident on Thursday.

The Deputy Minister said that 15 persons, including the Tangalle Urban Council Secretary, 12 UC employees, two children, and the driver of the bus, are reported dead.

Ruwan Senarath further said that a female is reported missing, as of now.

Furthermore, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has deployed an MI-17 helicopter at SLAF CTS Diyatalawa and a Bell 412 helicopter at SLAF Station Weerawila, both on standby to assist operations related to the bus accident.

The SLAF states that these air assets remain ready to airlift patients to Colombo or to support any required rescue operations.

A bus travelling towards Wellawaya had collided with a jeep and toppled into a 1000-foot precipice, killing 15 persons and injuring 18 others 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)

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The National Transport Commission has temporarily suspended the driver and conductor of a bus after a student fell off the footboard in Kurunegala.

The incident had been caught on the dashcam of the vehicle of the child’s father, who had dropped off the child at the bus stop moments ago. However, the child had not sustained any serious injuries in the incident. 

Issuing a statement on the incident, the Transport Ministry said the bus was used as a school transport service and had been authorised by the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority to operate from Metibokka to Sir John Kothalawala College in Kurunegala. 

The ministry further said inquiries conducted by NTC officials with the child’s father and the bus owner have revealed that the incident had occurred due to the negligence of the driver and conductor.

As such, based on the directive of the NTC, the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority has taken steps to temporarily suspend the driver and conductor from their duties. 

The Transport Ministry further said that a probe into the incident will be conducted today. 

The ministry also stated that on the orders of the Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake, measures have been taken to assign a new driver and conductor to the bus to ensure uninterrupted service. (Newswire)

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A distressing incident has been reported from Kurunegala where a schoolboy fell off the footboard of a private bus while it was in motion.

The shocking footage was recorded by the dashboard camera of a car driven by the child’s father, who had just dropped the boy off at the bus stop moments earlier. (Newswire)

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Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake says GPS and CCTV systems using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will be introduced to long-distance buses to prevent road accidents in Sri Lanka. 

Addressing the media, Minister Rathnayake said the AI system will be introduced to both the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private long-distance buses soon. 

He said this system will also help observe the activities of the bus driver, whether he is tired, sleepy, or making telephone calls while driving.

“Drivers face various issues such as mechanical, road conditions, and lighting issues on a bus journey. However, the driver’s activities must also be monitored. Such a system is available overseas, where CCTV and GPS systems using AI technology are installed in the bus. This helps to check if the driver is sleepy, tired, or using their mobile phone. We have proposed to introduce this system to buses in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake said that the CCTV and GPS systems using AI technology will be installed in SLTB and private long-distance buses, and will be granted along with the route permit.  

The Transport Minister further revealed that this AI system will be introduced to lorries or containers operated by public and private companies, and trains, in the future. 

He also said that a system will be introduced where all long-distance buses will be required to undergo a full inspection prior to commencing the journey. 

“It has been proposed that the buses will be required to carry the ER1 Certificate, after undergoing a full inspection a few hours prior to commencing the long-distance journey. We intend to introduce inspection of all long-distance buses at all bus depots under the SLTB. We have instructed the relevant state institutions to recruit necessary employees for this purpose,” he added.

Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake made the remarks while addressing the media on the measures that have been proposed to prevent bus accidents in Sri Lanka. 

His comments come after the recent bus accident in Kotmale, where 23 passengers were killed, considered Sri Lanka’s worst bus crash in two decades. (Newswire)

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Several persons, including school children, have been injured in a head-on collision between two buses in the Ranala area along the Colombo- Avissawella Road today.

According to media reports, at least 20 school children have sustained injuries in the accident which occurred this afternoon. 

It is reported that the accident had occurred after a school bus and a private bus collided head-on. (Newswire/ Images- Accident1st)

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A 51-year-old individual has been killed in the bus accident reported in the Dampelessa area in Narammala today.

The Police said the deceased has been identified as a 51-year-old woman from Narammala.

The bus had fallen into a precipice when it was travelling from Alawwa to Narammala this afternoon. 

Nineteen (19) others who were on the bus, including the driver, also sustained injuries in the accident.

The injured have been admitted to the Kurunegala and Narammala hospitals for treatment. (NewsWire / Pic- Accident1st)

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State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon has issued a directive to carry out an immediate study of large roadside trees at risk of falling due to the prevailing wet conditions and remove any which may pose a threat to the public. 

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that the State Minister has directed officials of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and National Building Research Organization (NBRO) to coordinate with the Environmental Authority, Road Development Authority (RDA) and local authority bodies in this regard.

The State Minister has further issued directions to relevant officials to take immediate preventive measures and remove potential roadside trees at risk of falling. 

The directives have been issued following the tragic accident that was reported near the Liberty roundabout in Colpetty this morning, where a tree had fallen onto a bus killing five passengers and injuring at least 10 others. (NewsWire)

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The government has decided to provide compensation of Rs. 500,000 to each of the families of the victims who lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred near Liberty roundabout in Colpetty today.

Five passengers were killed and at least 10 others were injured after a tree fell on the bus which was en route from Colombo to Matugama this morning.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued directives to his Secretary Saman Ekanayaka to facilitate a compensation of Rs. 500,000 to each of the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

As per the President’s directives, the compensation is to be provided by the Ministry of Transport and the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). (NewsWire)

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At least 28 passengers of a bus have been hospitalized following an accident in the Mahawanguwa area in Ratnapura today.

The passengers had been injured after the bus had fallen into a precipice on the Ratnapura-Siripagama Road this afternoon.

The injured passengers were admitted to the Gilimale Hospital following the accident.

Four of the passengers in critical condition have been admitted to the Ratnapura Hospital. (NewsWire)

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