Two killed, 21 injured as speeding bus skids off road

Five days after the tragedy at Yangalmodera, a speeding private bus plying from Maduru Oya to Colombo skidded off the road yesterday at Meddalanda, Polgahawela killing two people and injuring 21, Polgahawela Police said yesterday.

One person was killed on the spot and another succumbed to his injuries on admission to Kurunegala hospital.

The speeding bus had gone off the road crashing into several coconut trees as it was competing with another bus, ASP Gamini Gunatilleke in charge of the Polgahawela Police Division told the Daily News.

The accident occurred just half a kilometre away form the Yangalmodera level crossing towards Kurunegala. This level crossing was the scene of one of the biggest accidents in recent times - 35 people were killed when a bus which tried to zig zag through the gap in the closed gates was hit by an intercity train.

The injured were admitted to the Kurunegala Teaching hospital. An employee attached to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board was killed on the spot, Police added.

The accident occurred around 6.20 in the morning. Among the injured were four females, one Police officer and two Army personnel, Police said.

S. Selvakumar of Kurunegala, Panagamuwa travelling in the ill-fated bus said the bus was competing with another bus as he got into the bus around 5.45 am. Another bus on the same route passed Kurunegala without stopping there and Selvakumar had got into this bus.

"The bus came very fast. I heard a big sound and I found myself in a stream with that sound as I was thrown out of the footboard. I came out of it and helped the passengers to come out of the bus," he said.

Police arrested the driver and the conductor. ASP Gunatilleke said the bus was taken to Polgahawela Police Station. The Colombo- Kurunegala road was blocked for several hours after the accident and traffic was turned towards Colombo through the new Colombo road.

Polgahawela Acting OIC P.D.R. Kulatunga is conducting investigations under the supervision of ASP Gamini Gunatilleke.

Meanwhile, Warakapola Police said another private bus plying from Maduru Oya to Colombo collided with a lorry at Helagala, Warakapola, around 7 am injuring the lorry driver. However, there was no confirmation whether it was the bus which was competing with the ill-fated bus which had gone off the road at Meddalanda.