A passenger bus skids off a cliff in Sri Lanka, killing 15 and injuring 16 others

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A passenger bus veered off a road and plunged into a precipice in a mountainous region in Sri Lanka, killing 15 people and injuring 16 others, a police spokesman said Friday.

The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Thursday night and the bus fell into a roughly 1,000-foot precipice, police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said.

The accident killed 15 people and wounded 16, including five children.

Wootler said an initial police investigation revealed that the driver was driving the bus at high speed and lost control of it, crashing with another vehicle and into guardrails before toppling off the cliff.

At the time of the accident, nearly 30 people were traveling on the bus.

Local television showed footage of the severely damaged bus lying at the bottom of the precipice and rescues crews, including soldiers, police officers and volunteers, removing the injured throughout the night in harsh terrain.

Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly maintained and narrow roads.