At least 17 schoolchildren were injured on Monday afternoon when a school van collided head-on with a private bus on the Kandy–Jaffna A9 road at Kalugala in Katugastota, Ada Derana reported.
The accident took place at around 2 p.m. The private bus was travelling towards Kandy when the school van, heading in the opposite direction, struck it head-on. The driver of the van was also injured.
All the injured were first admitted to the Katugastota Divisional Hospital and later transferred to the Kandy National Hospital for further treatment. Katugastota Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.
The crash adds to a busy stretch of road-safety incidents involving public passenger and school transport on Sri Lanka’s trunk routes. Sri Lanka recorded 24 deaths and 19 separate road accidents over the Vesak weekend earlier this month, and the Department of Motor Traffic is preparing to roll out a pilot 24-point driver demerit scheme from September to tighten compliance against unsafe driving on highways such as the A9.
Source: 17 schoolchildren injured in head-on collision on A9 road in Kandy — Ada Derana, June 15.
