One fatality as van carrying tourists crashes into bus

One person died and two others were seriously injured in a head-on collision between a van transporting foreign tourists and a private bus at Kathaluwa in Ahangama in the early hours of last morning.

The deceased Sujith Anuruddha (20) of Batawala in Weligama was the driver of the van while several tourists were also injured in the accident. The van was transporting tourists from the Bandaranaike International Airport when it met with the accident. Police said the driver of the van had fallen asleep and lost control of the vehicle. The injured, one of them in critical condition, were admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital.

Meanwhile bus commuters were helping passengers in the van into ambulances when one of them was accidentally knocked down by a passing tipper truck. He was seriously injured and was admitted to Karapitiya teaching hospital. The hit and run driver was arrested and the tipper lorry seized at Thalpe by the Ahangama police.

OIC Traffic Branch IP Kaushalya Nanayakkara, and SI Gamage are conducting further investigations on the instructions of OIC Ahangama police IP Upul Weerasekara.