A passenger bus plunged off a cliff into a ravine in Sri Lanka on Sunday, killing 21 people and injuring 35 others in one of the country’s deadliest transportation accidents this year.
The accident occurred in the early hours of May 11 near the village of Kotmale, approximately 86 miles east of Colombo in a mountainous area of central Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hill country.
Police spokesman Buddhika Manathunga said “21 people died and another 35 were being treated in hospitals.”
The state-run bus was traveling from the town of Kataragama to the city of Kurunegala, a distance of around 155 miles, when it veered off the road and crashed down the steep slope, according to police reports.
Nearly 50 passengers were on board the vehicle at the time of the accident. The driver sustained injuries and was among those taken to local medical facilities for treatment.
Initial reports from authorities indicated that eight people — five men and three women — had died in the crash, but the death toll nearly tripled as more victims were discovered and some of the injured succumbed to their wounds.
Sri Lankan police have launched an investigation to determine whether driver recklessness or a technical fault of the bus caused the accident.
Local television footage showed rescue workers and bystanders helping to remove injured passengers from the overturned bus at the bottom of the precipice. The dramatic scenes captured emergency responders navigating the difficult terrain as they worked to save lives amid the wreckage.
Photos from the crash site revealed extensive damage to the vehicle. The roof had separated from the rest of the bus, which came to rest diagonally on the hillside. Several seats were detached from the floor and contents from inside the bus were scattered throughout the ravine.
Some sources indicated the accident may have occurred when the driver lost control while negotiating a bend in the road. Local residents played a crucial role in the rescue effort, helping to pull people from the mangled wreckage and rush them to nearby hospitals.
According to a research study published in the National Library of Medicine, government-operated buses generally have a better safety record than privately owned transportation in Sri Lanka. The study found that private buses have a two-fold higher risk of crashes compared to government buses, which could be attributed to factors like driver training, medical screenings, and maintenance standards.
Fatal bus accidents are not uncommon in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions of the country. Between 2020 and 2024, the nation recorded 12,140 road accident fatalities, with 198 fatal bus accidents reported in 2024 alone, according to local media reports.
The Sri Lankan government has decided to provide financial support to the families affected by the disaster. Authorities announced that one million Sri Lankan rupees would be paid as compensation to the families of each individual who perished in the accident.
Transportation experts point to several factors that contribute to the high rate of accidents in Sri Lanka’s hill country. Poorly maintained roads, narrow pathways with steep drops, and challenging weather conditions all present significant hazards for drivers in these areas.
The Kotmale region is known for its winding mountain roads that snake through tea plantations and offer stunning but perilous views of the surrounding valleys. These roads become particularly dangerous during early morning hours when visibility can be limited.
This accident ranks among the worst transportation disasters in Sri Lanka in recent years. In April 2005, a bus driver attempted to beat a train at a level crossing, resulting in a collision that killed 37 passengers. More recently, in 2021, an accident in Passara claimed the lives of 13 passengers and the driver.
Sri Lanka’s roads are considered among the most dangerous in the world, with the country recording an average of 3,000 road fatalities annually, making road safety a significant public health concern for the island nation.
The identities of the victims have not yet been publicly released as authorities work to notify family members. The investigation into the exact cause of the crash continues.
