One passenger was killed and another critically injured after a speeding lorry struck two passengers who had got down from a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus at Dimbula Pathana junction on the Hatton–Nuwara Eliya main road this morning (20).
Police said the accident occurred at around 7.00 a.m. when the SLTB bus travelling from Dayagama to Colombo had stopped by the roadside for a short rest. At that moment, two passengers alighted from the rear door of the bus onto the main road and were hit by a lorry transporting rice from Nattandiya to Nuwara Eliya.
One passenger died on the spot, while the other sustained serious injuries and was first admitted to the Kotagala Regional Hospital before being transferred to the Dickoya Base Hospital due to his critical condition.
The deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Abdul Rahim, a resident of the Lidula Meraya Estate. Police said both the deceased and the injured passenger had boarded the bus from the Lidula area to travel to Colombo.
The driver of the lorry has been arrested by Dimbula Pathana Police on suspicion. According to an officer from the Police Traffic Division investigating the incident, preliminary inquiries indicate that the accident may have occurred after the lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Further investigations into the incident are continuing.
