• Police cite excessive speed as preliminary cause
• Bus narrowly avoids plunging into precipice in Walapane

At least five persons were injured in a road accident reported at the Galkulama police road barrier in Anuradhapura yesterday morning (1), police stated. The Thirappane Police stated the accident occurred around 5 a.m. yesterday, following a head-on collision between two vehicles. One vehicle was carrying four individuals returning home after attending a musical concert in Anuradhapura, while the other belonged to a family travelling from Kelaniya to Anuradhapura on an excursion. According to preliminary investigations, the accident occurred at a bend in the road, where the vehicle travelling from Anuradhapura lost control due to excessive speed while on the right side of the road. The injured include the four passengers and the driver of the vehicle from Anuradhapura, as well as one person from the other vehicle. All injured persons had been admitted to hospital. The Thirappane Police are conducting further investigations.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus narrowly avoided plunging into a 50-foot precipice after the driver managed to stop it in time, following a mechanical failure, in the Rasingolla area of Walapane yesterday. The bus, attached to the Walapane depot, was operating from Nildandahinne to Theripaha when it met with the accident at the first bend in the Rasingolla area, a section of road affected by landslides. Driver Saman Thilakasiri said that a loud noise was heard as the bus approached the bend, after which he immediately applied the brakes and brought the vehicle to a halt. “There were about 40 passengers on board at the time. When I got down, I saw the joint of the bus was split in two." Passengers were safely evacuated, and the Walapane depot later replaced the damaged joint and removed the bus. Traffic along the road was temporarily disrupted until the bus was cleared.