Six people, including a woman, were killed in a series of road accidents reported across Sri Lanka on Monday (July 27), police said.
A 49-year-old woman died in a three-wheeler crash at Vinayagapuram 01 on the Thirukkovil-Pottuvil Road. Police said the vehicle was travelling towards Pottuvil when the driver lost control, veered off the road and struck a concrete pole. The injured driver, two women seated in the rear, a girl and a boy were taken to Thirukkovil Hospital, where the woman later died. The second woman and the two children were transferred to Ampara Hospital for further treatment.
In a separate crash near Gothatuwa town, a three-wheeler collided head-on with a bus. Ada Derana reported that the driver died on admission to Mulleriyawa Hospital; the Daily Mirror, citing police, said the driver died at the scene and that a second injured person was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital. Kolonnawa Police are investigating.
A 67-year-old motorcyclist was killed at Werapola on the Kurunegala-Puttalam Road after a car travelling towards Puttalam attempted to overtake another vehicle and collided with the oncoming motorcycle, according to police. The motorcyclist died on admission to Wariyapola Hospital, and the car driver was also hospitalised.
On the expressway within the Athurugiriya Police Division, near the 6 km post, a lorry travelling from Kerawalapitiya towards Kottawa crashed into a stationary prime mover and trailer that had stopped because of a mechanical fault. The lorry driver and a front-seat passenger were seriously injured and taken to Homagama Hospital, where the 21-year-old passenger died.
In Tissamaharama, a 38-year-old pedestrian was struck by a bus travelling from Debarawewa towards Kataragama near the 6 km post on the tank bund road on Monday night. The victim died while receiving treatment at Debarawewa Hospital.
In the sixth fatality, a 24-year-old motorcyclist lost control of his machine on the Chilaw-Bangadeniya-Pallama road, veered off the carriageway and fell into a ditch, NewsFirst reported, citing police. He was seriously injured and died after admission to Chilaw Hospital.
NewsFirst put the toll at six deaths in road accidents across the island within a 24-hour period, and gave the age of the three-wheeler driver killed at Gothatuwa as 37.
