Bus goes down precipice killing two, injuring 44

Rafik JALALDEEN

Two persons including a child were killed on the spot and 44 others injured when a bus hurtled down a 100 foot precipice at Galagedara, Kandy on Monday.

According to Galagedara police, a group of people returning from a pilgrimage met with the accident when their ill-fated bus ran off the road and went down a 100ft precipice around midnight. "The accident had occurred about 300m away from the Galagedara police station along the Kandy- Kurunegala main road," sources said. The driver of the Leyland bus and a child died on the spot. At least 44 other pilgrims injured in the accident were admitted to Galagedara and Kandy hospitals.

The deceased were identified as A. Ramesh Madusha , 8, a resident of Kattuwa, Negombo and bus driver K. Krishan , 45. A group of pilgrims from Negombo were returning from Kataragama when the tragedy had occurred.

"It is believed that the bus was plying in neutral gear and it veered off the road due to a fault in the brakes," police told the Daily News.