Radella Shortcut Road has been reopened for vehicles weighing below 5 tons after it was closed for traffic following a deadly multiple-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of seven people and injured a further 53.

According to Nanu Oya Police, permission was granted by Road Development Authority’s Executive Engineer in charge of Nuwara Eliya district. 

On January 20, seven people in total including two children died in a fatal motor accident caused by the careless driving of a bus driver transporting a group of students returning from a school trip to Nuwara Eliya.

The accident took place as the bus in question fell down a 100-foot precipice along the Radella Shortcut Road after colliding with a van and a three-wheeler.

All six individuals, including its driver, and the driver of the three-wheeler were reported to have died on the spot while 53 passengers in the bus which mostly comprised of students of Thurstan College in Colombo.

In the aftermath of the fatal accident, heavy vehicles were temporarily barred from travelling on the Radella Shortcut Road, on the instructions of the Nuwara Eliya District Secretary. Accordingly, all heavy vehicles were required to use the Radella-Kirimetiya road instead.

However, the Hatton-Nuwara Eliya luxury bus owners raised concerns about the loss they incur and the issues faced by public servants at offices in Nuwara Eliya and Hatton areas who are unable to report to work on time whenever this longer route is used instead of the shortcut road.

Taking the request into consideration, the RDA’s Executive Engineer in Nuwara Eliya permitted vehicles weighing below 5 tons to use the shortcut road from today.

Meanwhile, police officers have been deployed to ensure that vehicles weighing above 5 tons continue to use the Radella-Kirimetiya road, as they are yet to be given permission to use the Radella Shortcut Road.