• Front-rear brake drums had overheated due to excessive use, grease leakage in rear wheel brake system
• 4-yr.-old dies in Ampara accident, 1 injured in Southern Expressway lorry overturning 

The full report on the accident on the Ella-Wellawaya road on 4 September, which claimed the lives of 16 people, has been handed over to the Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake on Monday (22).

According to the report, the bus involved in the accident had been driven by a 22-year-old, and it was his first time driving the vehicle. The report identified that operating a bus carrying passengers along a steep and winding road – unfamiliar to the driver – was a key factor contributing to the accident. Additionally, the investigations revealed that the driver of the bus had no proper awareness of the route in that area.

The report also highlighted that the road signs and other warning boards installed along the route where the accident occurred were not adequate for an inexperienced driver to properly assess the hazardous nature of the road.

It further stated that the identity of the bus is also in question. As part of the preliminary investigation, it was observed that the colour of the front and rear brake drums had changed, indicating that they had overheated due to excessive use. The report also noted the presence of grease leakage in the rear wheel brake system. According to the committee’s findings, the bus had not been properly maintained, and that defects in the braking system were identified as contributing factors to the crash.

The accident occurred on the 24th kilometre post of the Ella-Wellawaya road on 4 September, when a bus carrying a group of employees and members of the Tangalle Urban Council on a leisure trip plunged into a precipice. Sixteen people lost their lives, and another sixteen were injured in the incident.

To investigate the accident, a five-member committee was appointed, led by a Deputy Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic. A spokesperson for the committee stated that the report was compiled following an extensive investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, a four-year-old child has died following a road accident in Ampara, on Monday evening (22). The accident occurred when a tipper truck, traveling from the Kalmunai Junction towards the Bandaranaike Roundabout in Ampara, collided with a woman and a child who were walking along the side of the road. Both the child and the woman sustained injuries in the accident and were admitted to the Ampara District General Hospital, where the child was pronounced dead upon admission. The deceased was a four-year-old resident of Uhana. The driver of the tipper truck involved in the accident has been taken into Police custody.

Elsewhere, an individual has been injured in an accident that occurred between the Dodangoda and Gelanigama exits on the Southern Expressway on Monday evening. The accident took place when a lorry transporting books from Galle to Colombo overturned on the road. As a result of the incident, one lane towards Colombo was blocked, according to Police sources. Reports also indicated that traffic congestion had built up between Dodangoda and Gelanigama due to the lane closure.