Five people were killed and three others remain in hospital after a tipper truck collided with a tractor in the Kumbukkana area of Monaragala early on Friday morning (21), police said.
The collision happened on the Kumbukkana Kalu Bridge along the Wellawaya–Monaragala Road, when a tipper truck heading towards Wellawaya struck a tractor travelling in the opposite direction, according to Ada Derana.
Ten people were riding on the tractor’s trailer at the time. Eight of them were seriously hurt and taken to the Monaragala District General Hospital, where five later died of their injuries.
Police said the dead were aged 21, 26, 31, 55 and 56, and were residents of Dodamgaslanda, Buttala and Horabokka.
Pilgrims on board
Hiru News reported that the group on the tractor was travelling on a pilgrimage to the Kebilitta shrine, and that two of those killed were from the same family.
The three other injured passengers are still receiving treatment.
The drivers of both the tipper truck and the tractor have been arrested. Monaragala Police are continuing investigations.
Trailer travel a recurring risk
Passengers riding on open tractor trailers — common on rural pilgrimage routes and at harvest time — have featured in several of Sri Lanka’s recent mass-casualty road crashes, with no restraints and no structural protection in a collision.
Road safety has drawn sustained official attention this year, including the National Council for Road Safety’s campaign on seatbelt and helmet compliance and a series of Consumer Affairs Authority raids on substandard safety equipment.
