Four people were killed and about 70 were injured when two Sri Lanka Transport Board buses collided head-on and a private bus was drawn into the crash on the A9 Road at Rambewa in Anuradhapura on Tuesday morning, police said.
Police said the crash happened near the Rambewa-Weli Oya Junction in the Mihintale Police Division. According to police, an SLTB bus travelling from Vavuniya towards Rambewa tried to overtake a private bus going in the same direction. During the manoeuvre it collided head-on with another SLTB bus coming from the opposite direction, and the private bus was drawn into the collision.
The death toll was reported differently as the day went on. Early reports quoted the Mihintale Police Officer-in-Charge as saying five people had died and that 18 to 20 injured passengers had been taken to hospitals in Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Medawachchiya. A later police update confirmed the deaths of three men and a woman, and said the number of injured had risen to about 70. The bodies were placed at the Rambewa Hospital.
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said 76 people had been injured in total. Of them, 61 were admitted to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, where several patients have had orthopaedic surgery. Some are under observation for head injuries, and three have undergone MRI scans. A further 25 patients were taken to the Medawachchiya Base Hospital, and 10 of them were later moved to Anuradhapura.
The minister said that, according to the latest update available to him, no patients were in intensive care and none of those admitted to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital had died. He said there was no immediate need to move any patient to the National Hospital in Colombo.
Two police teams have been deployed to investigate, and Mihintale Police are continuing inquiries into how the crash happened.
Background
The A9 is one of the island’s main arterial roads, linking the central highlands with the Northern Province through Anuradhapura and Vavuniya. It carries heavy traffic of long-distance buses, lorries and private vehicles, and the Rambewa stretch lies on the route between Vavuniya and Anuradhapura.
The Sri Lanka Transport Board is the state-owned bus operator, and it runs long-distance services alongside privately owned buses on many of the same routes. Head-on collisions are a recognised risk when vehicles overtake on busy two-lane sections of national roads, particularly where visibility is limited.
What it means
Many of the injured are not residents of the area, Jayatissa said. To help their relatives reach the hospitals, the government will arrange lodging through the Anuradhapura District Secretariat.
Families who need help with accommodation can contact the Anuradhapura District Secretary on 071 435 2016 or the Ministry Secretary on 071 294 8050. Relatives travelling to Anuradhapura to see patients are advised to confirm the ward and hospital before setting out, since some patients have been moved between hospitals.
