Bus driver dies after sudden medical emergency causes bus crash in Wellampitiya

By Bimal Shsyaman Jaaysinghe

Colombo, June 25 (Daily Mirror) - An SLTB bus driver died after suffering a sudden medical emergency while transporting nearly 50 passengers from Colombo to Ampara, causing the bus to veer out of control and crash into several roadside structures in Wellampitiya early yesterday morning.

Police identified the deceased as 44-year-old Asanka Sanjeewa Kumara, a driver attached to the Ampara SLTB Depot and a resident of Demata Malpallessa in Uhana.

According to investigators, the incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. near Ambagaha Junction in Wellampitiya while the bus was operating on its scheduled route to Ampara.

Police said the driver had reportedly boarded a female passenger just minutes before the accident. Soon afterward, he is believed to have suffered a sudden illness that left him unable to control the vehicle.

The bus subsequently crashed into a bus shelter, a telephone pole, a gate and a boundary wall, causing extensive damage to the front of the vehicle and nearby property.

Despite the frightening incident, none of the nearly 50 passengers on board sustained injuries.

The driver was rushed to hospital by a 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service but was pronounced dead upon arrival, police said