A special investigative committee has been named to probe the tragic bus accident, which claimed the lives of 22 individuals in Gerandi Ella, Ramboda in the early hours of Sunday (11), Police said.
The five-member committee has been appointed on the directive of the Acting Inspector General of Police.
The committee will be headed by Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Ajith Rohana.
Four other senior Police officers have been included in the committee which is tasked with identifying the cause of the tragic accident.
The team will focus on several identified areas during the inquiry and is expected to provide recommendations to minimize future accidents.
Meanwhile, according to the Nuwara Eliya District Chief Motor Vehicle Inspector Jaliya Bandara, initial investigations had revealed that the tragic bus accident was not caused by a mechanical defect in the vehicle.
Jaliya Bandara said it is suspected that the bus was overloaded and that the driver may have fallen asleep on the wheel due to fatigue.
He further stated that a comprehensive investigation is currently being carried out by a special committee appointed to examine the incident.
Jaliya Bandara added that the exact circumstances leading to the accident will be disclosed upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.
Around 40 individuals who sustained injuries in the bus accident in Gerandi Ella, Ramboda are currently receiving in-house treatment at hospitals, Police said.
According to hospital sources, some of them are in critical condition.
Individuals who were injured in the accident were admitted to hospitals in Nuwara Eliya, Kotmale Gampola, Nawalapitiya, Peradeniya and Kandy.
Those admitted to the Kotmale hospital have been discharged.
Meanwhile, five individuals are currently receiving treatment at the Nawalapitiya District General Hospital while 22 persons are at the Gampola Teaching Hospital.
Furthermore, 15 persons injured in Sunday’s accident are receiving treatment at the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital with two of them in critical condition.
Moreover, a few others in critical condition are admitted to the Kandy National Hospital and the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital.
A total of 22 individuals died in the accident that occurred in Gerandi Ella, Ramboda in the early hours of Sunday.
A Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus operating from Kataragama to Kurunegala via Nuwara Eliya veered off the road and toppled down a precipice on the Nuwara Eliya - Gampola main road.
Rescue and recovery operations continued for several hours with the involvement of Police, tri-forces personnel and area residents.
Those injured were initially rushed to the Kotmale and Nuwara Eliya hospitals.
Subsequently they were transferred to other hospitals.
