A severely overcrowded bus carrying dozens of Buddhist pilgrims crashed into a precipice in Sri Lanka on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of 15 people and injuries to at least 30, local police reported.
Marking one of the worst road accidents in the country in decades, the state-owned bus was travelling through the central hilly region of Kotmale when the driver lost control, causing it to veer off a cliffside road before dawn, according to police.
The bus was carrying approximately 70 passengers—about 20 more than its designated capacity—police stated, adding that an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
“We are trying to establish whether it was a mechanical failure or if the driver fell asleep at the wheel,” a local police official informed AFP via telephone.
“Fifteen people have died, and we have transported 30 to hospital,” who were predominantly Buddhists, the official added, speaking anonymously as he was not authorized to address the media.
The bus was en route from the pilgrim town of Kataragama in the island’s far south to the central city of Kurunegala, a journey of about 250 kilometers (155 miles).
Sri Lanka records an average of 3,000 road fatalities each year, ranking the island’s roads among the most perilous globally.
Sunday’s bus accident is one of the deadliest in Sri Lanka since April 2005, when a driver attempted to cross a level crossing before an oncoming train in the town of Polgahawela. While the bus driver sustained minor injuries, 37 passengers were killed.
In March 2021, 13 passengers and the driver of a privately owned bus perished when the vehicle plunged into a precipice in Passara, located about 100 kilometers east of Sunday’s accident site.
