One person was killed, and several others were injured when two buses and a lorry collided on the Colombo-Kandy main road in the Palpatha area of Mawanella at around 3.30 p.m. today (09).
Police said that the lorry driver’s assistant was killed while another person travelling in the lorry, along with several passengers in the two buses, sustained injuries and were admitted to the Kegalle and Mawanella hospitals for treatment.
According to preliminary investigations, the accident occurred on the Uthuwankanda slope when a lorry travelling from Kandy towards Colombo reportedly lost control after its brakes failed and crashed into the rear of a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus.
The SLTB bus subsequently crashed into the rear end of a private bus travelling ahead of it before veering off the road and coming to a stop in a culvert.
The private bus was pushed forward by the impact and plunged into a nearby paddy field.
Several passengers travelling on the bus, operating from Pundaluoya to Colombo, were injured in the incident.
