Bus runs off road and topples down precipice

2 January 2012 01:22 pm

A Colombo bound bus from Andana in Kahawatta ran off the road at Koskelle in Kahawatta and went down a precipice this morning, causing injuries to 30 passengers and the driver of the bus.

Police said six of the injured in critical condition were transferred to the Ratnapura General Hospital. The driver of the bus M. Seneviratne said he lost control of the bus due to a technical defect. He said the residents of the area who rushed to the scene rescued the injured including him from a precipice more than 300 feet deep.

“When the bus that ran off the road and was rolling down the precipice, I had no alternative but to hold the steering wheel fast. All of the passengers excluding one were injured. The bus that had developed a similar technical defect in Avissawella the previous day and it was repaired,” he said.

The Traffic Division of the Kahawatta Police are conducting further inquiries.