Kurunegala fatal bus crash: Number of patients in ICU climbs, driver remanded

The number of patients receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following a tragic accident in the Thoraya area on the Dambulla-Kurunegala main road has increased. 

The Director of Kurunegala General Hospital stated that five patients who were injured in the accident and are in critical condition are currently being treated in the ICU of the hospital.

The collision occurred in the early hours of Monday (10), when two private buses collided, resulting in the deaths of four individuals. A total of 34 injured passengers were admitted to the Kurunegala General Hospital, with four reported to be in critical condition.

The accident took place around 6 km from Kurunegala town, in the Thoraya area. A private bus operating under route number 48, traveling from Kaduruwela to Kurunegala, had stopped at the location to pick up passengers. While the bus was stationary, another private bus, traveling at high speed from Maduru Oya to Colombo, crashed into it from behind.

Upon impact, the bus that had been picking up passengers veered into a nearby garden and struck a tree. Local residents immediately took steps to transport the injured to the Kurunegala Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the bus driver responsible for the accident was arrested and produced before the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The driver has been ordered to be remanded until the February 20 as the investigation continues.