A 20-year-old man was killed and four others were injured in a head-on collision between a three-wheeler and a tipper truck in the Punanai area along the Polonnaruwa–Batticaloa Road on Sunday night (1), police said.
The three-wheeler had been travelling towards Batticaloa when it collided with the tipper truck coming from the opposite direction. The three-wheeler driver, a woman in the rear seat, and two other passengers sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the Welikanda and Valaichchenai hospitals.
One of the injured, a 20-year-old resident of Valaichchenai, later succumbed to his injuries while being treated at Welikanda Hospital. The tipper truck overturned in the collision, and its driver was also admitted to Welikanda Hospital with injuries.
The crash adds to a heavy weekend on Sri Lanka’s roads. Police recorded 24 deaths in 19 fatal accidents over the two-day Vesak holiday, including the Meegoda Vesak dansala cab crash that killed six pilgrims on Saturday night. Police are conducting further investigations into the Punanai collision.
