Guwahati: At least 15 people lost their lives Thursday night when a packed tourist bus plunged nearly 1,000 feet off a mountain road near Wellawaya, in Sri Lanka’s scenic Ella region, about 174 miles east of Colombo.
Before careening off the edge, the bus reportedly collided with an oncoming vehicle and then crashed through the roadside guardrails. Witnesses said the vehicle rolled down a steep slope, landing in thick underbrush far below.
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Authorities confirmed the passengers were local tourists visiting the popular tea plantation highlands. The crash also injured 16 people, including five children. Emergency responders rescued them from the wreckage.
Police said the bus driver appeared to have been speeding before losing control. Preliminary investigations suggest brake failure may have contributed to the crash after the initial impact with another vehicle.
One survivor said the driver shouted to warn passengers seconds before the plunge. “The conductor yelled at everyone to get down and hold on. A moment later, we crashed through the barriers,” she recalled. “I flew out through a broken window.”
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Photos from the scene show the mangled bus lying on its side, its roof torn open and seats thrown across the hillside. Splintered glass and debris scattered the area, while soldiers and rescue crews examined the wreckage for clues.
This is the deadliest bus crash in Sri Lanka since May, when 23 people died in a similar accident in Kotmale.
Police continue to investigate the exact cause of Thursday’s crash, as families mourn the victims of yet another tragic road disaster.