Eleven people were injured, one of them critically, in a head-on collision between two buses on the Dambulla–Matale main road near the Nalanda area of Naula on Sunday morning, police said.
The accident occurred around 9:20 a.m. when a private bus and a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus collided. The injured were rushed to the Nalanda Regional Hospital, with several later transferred to the Matale Hospital. The patient in critical condition was being treated under intensive care.
The driver of the private bus has been arrested, while the SLTB driver fled the scene and is being sought by police. Police also said Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, who was travelling from Kandy to Colombo at the time, stopped at the site and assisted in the rescue effort before continuing his journey.
The Dambulla–Matale road is one of the busiest inter-provincial routes in the central hill country, and inquiries are continuing into the cause of the collision. Sri Lanka recorded over 80 deaths from road accidents and drownings during the recent New Year season, and the transport ministry has set a target to significantly reduce road deaths by 2029.
Source: Ada Derana.
