Sri Lanka Bus Plunge Kills 21, Leaves Dozens Injured in Mountainous Kotmale Region
A devastating bus accident in Sri Lanka’s central highlands has left 21 people dead and at least 14 others seriously injured after a passenger bus veered off a cliff early Sunday morning. The crash occurred near the town of Kotmale, approximately 140 kilometres east of the capital Colombo, in the island nation’s rugged tea plantation region.
According to Sri Lankan police and Deputy Transport and Highways Minister Prasanna Gunasena, the bus—operated by a state-run company—was carrying nearly 50 passengers when it lost control and tumbled down a steep precipice. Rescue teams and local villagers rushed to the scene, working through the morning to extract the injured from the twisted wreckage.
Footage aired on local television showed the bus overturned at the foot of the slope, surrounded by debris as emergency workers tended to survivors. Among the injured was the driver, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital along with others wounded in the crash.
While the exact cause is still under investigation, officials point to a pattern of accidents in the country’s mountainous terrain, often blamed on reckless driving and hazardous road conditions. Narrow, poorly maintained roads in hilly areas have contributed to a troubling record of fatal crashes in recent years.
Authorities are continuing recovery operations as the country mourns one of its deadliest transportation disasters in recent memory.