News in brief

Rs. 7.5m to assist tsunami victims

Students, teachers and principals attached to schools in the Western province along with employees attached to zonal education offices have collected over Rs. 7.5 million contributions to assist tsunami victims.

The money will be handed over to Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana and Chief Minister Reginold Cooray to be credited to the Western Province Tsunami Victims Fund at a ceremony at the Navarangahala, Colombo on March 18 at 9.00 a.m., said the Chief Minister's Office in a press release issued yesterday.

Three killed in bus-van collision

Three people were killed and 12 others injured in a road accident in Wattala when a bus carrying Navy cadres collided head-on with an airport bound van from Beruwela.

Irshad ,37, Fahim, 25, and Shaheed,31, were killed in the accident which took place along the Colombo-Negombo around 3.30 am yesterday. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the airport bound van was travelling at high speed.

Meanwhile, Hasitha Senerath was killed and 13 others were injured when the van they were travelling collided with a lorry along the Ratnapura-Embilipitiya road.

Three die in accident

Additional Inquirer into Sudden Deaths, Ragama, Dr. W. A. Premaratne returned verdicts of road traffic accidental deaths on three persons who died on the spot when the three wheeler which they travelled from Imbulgoda towards Colombo collided head on with a private bus plying from Colombo to Nittambuwa at Puwakwetiya, Kadawata on the Colombo-Kandy Road recently.

The dead were Tyronne Perera (26), G. Krishanta Christopher Perera (24) (driver of the three wheeler) and B. Sugath Chandana (23) of Maligawatte, Colombo 10. Dr. K. E. S. Fernando, Dr. W. S. S. R. Wickremarachchi and Dr. (Mrs.) W. N. S. Perera held the autopsies respectively. Kadawata police led evidence.