• Finds driver exhaustion due to 13+-hrs. on duty, recommends cases against SLTB and Kataragama Depot Superintendent

The five-member committee which investigated the deadly bus accident in Gerandi Ella, Ramboda, has recommended filing cases against the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and the Kataragama SLTB Depot Superintendent, and to consult the Attorney General (AG) on the possibility of filing a case against the Road Development Authority (RDA) for failing to properly maintain the road where the crash occurred.

Speaking to the media after handing over the final report to the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, the committee's chairperson, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Ajith Rohana said that they had pieced together a clearer picture of what had happened after inspecting the scene and recording statements from villagers who helped to rescue passengers, as well as from officials and transport experts.

At the time of the crash, he said that 84 people, including the driver and the conductor, were in the bus. "The bus had left the Kataragama depot at 10 p.m. and was travelling a route that spans between 250-300 kilometres. The full journey takes about nine and a half hours. The driver and conductor had reported to duty at 6 p.m., making their total working time over 13 hours."

He added that the committee observed that the driver's exhaustion was the cause of the accident. "The bus had not hit another vehicle, and nor was there fog, rain, or a slippery surface, and neither were any vehicles coming from the opposite direction. A team from the Department of Motor Traffic examined the bus and found no technical faults. The Government Analyst's report confirmed that the bus had not collided with anything either."

SDIG Rohana further said that the post mortem results from the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital showed that the driver had not suffered a sudden heart attack or any other sudden medical issue. In addition, tests on his (the driver's) biopsy have shown no trace of drugs or alcohol. Based on this, the committee concluded that the accident was caused by the driver falling asleep due to exhaustion. “We don’t intend to place blame on the driver. He is no longer with us and deserves our respect. But, based on all the reports and what we have observed, this happened because he was tired," SDIG Rohana pointed out.

The committee also discovered that the bus had not received proper approval from the National Transport Commission (NTC) to run this inter-provincial night service. Statements recorded from NTC officials have confirmed that the required permission had not been granted. Based on this, SDIG Rohana said that the committee recommended filing a case against the SLTB and the Kataragama Depot Superintendent under the relevant provisions of the NTC Act, No. 37 of 1991.

In addition to that, he said that lapses were found in the road safety infrastructure. “There had been an iron fence, concrete posts, signposts, and lights on that stretch of road. Under a special gazette issued in 2015, the RDA is responsible for ensuring road safety. Since the road had not been maintained to a safe standard, we have recommended that the AG be consulted on whether legal action can be taken against the RDA.”

The Gerandi Ella accident occurred on 11 May when a SLTB bus veered off the road and fell into a deep ravine along the Nuwara Eliya–Gampola main road. A total of 23 persons including the driver died, while 59 others sustained injuries in the accident.