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By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A passenger bus veered off a road and
plunged into a precipice in a mountainous region in Sri Lanka,
killing 15 people and injuring 16 others, a police spokesman
said Friday.
The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280
kilometers (174 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Thursday
night and the bus fell into a roughly 1,000-foot precipice,
police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said.
The accident killed 15 people and wounded 16, including five
children.
Wootler said an initial police investigation revealed that the
driver was driving the bus at high speed and lost control of it,
crashing with another vehicle and into guardrails before
toppling off the cliff.
At the time of the accident, nearly 30 people were traveling on
the bus.
Local television showed footage of the severely damaged bus
lying at the bottom of the precipice and rescues crews,
including soldiers, police officers and volunteers, removing the
injured throughout the night in harsh terrain.
Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the
mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly
maintained and narrow roads.
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