Close encounter with Bus bomb

Reports from Damith Wickramasekera, Himal Kotelawala and Madhushala Senaratne, Pix by Gemunu Wellage, Berty Mendis, Mettasena and Saman Kariyawasam

The peace and quiet of a Saturday morning in the crowded suburb of Mount Lavinia was shattered by a massive explosion that ripped through a passenger bus leaving 18 civilians injured, but thanks to the vigilance of some a bigger disaster was averted. The prompt action by the driver and conductor to evacuate the passengers on time prevented what would have certainly been yet another bloodbath. There were many witnesses to the incident and The Sunday Times spoke to several of them.

Mervyn Fernando was heading to Colombo for a personal emergency. He had boarded the ill-fated 101 private bus heading to Colombo from Moratuwa.“Not many people were in the bus when I got in. Just before we reached the Mount Lavinia junction I spotted a black travelling bag. I alerted a man behind me,who I thought was the conductor. He in turn informed the conductor who was towards the front of the bus,” Mr. Fernando said.The driver stopped the bus immediately and the conductor checked to see if the suspicious bag had an owner. No one responded. Without wasting time, the conductor and driver evacuated the passengers.

Five minutes later there was a huge explosion and the area was filled with black smoke and pieces of shrapnel went flying, other eyewitnesses said. M. Dharmasena, a shop owner said the bus stopped opposite his shop, the Vadduwa Sena Nishpadakayo.“I saw the bus suddenly coming to a halt in front of my shop and suddenly there was a loud explosion and the entire place was covered in black smoke. A man, perhaps about 60 years old, on a motorbike had fallen just behind the bus. At that time the bus wasn’t on fire but there were flames from underneath the bus. People rushed him to hospital. There was a car in front of the bus and passersby pushed it to a side. It was then that flames engulfed the entire bus.

The driver of the bus P Gamage said the bag was under the seat close to the rear tyre on the right side of the bus.“I initially thought someone had forgotten and left a bag behind. However when I got off the bus I asked the passengers to go about 30 metres away from it. I also told bystanders that there was a suspicious parcel and advised them not to go near the bus. My friend then called police on 119. Not even 5 minutes passed , when the bomb exploded and the bus caught fire,” he said.

Gamage’s friend Ajith Prasanna (42) from Moratuwa also boarded the bus bound to Colombo to buy a cover for his phone. It was Ajith who called 119 and helped his friend save many lives. Ajith, who works as a supervisor at the Moratuwa Municipal Council said , “I hurt my hand when I fell as soon as I heard the explosion. Many were injured by the flying pieces of glass. Fortunately not many were seriously hurt,” he said.

Chandana Pathirana (38) was at the Mount Lavinia bus stand with his wife Thushari Kariyawasam (37) and their 8 month old son, Sithula Ranketh when the explosion occurred. The three had been waiting to go to Dehiwela.“We were waiting to board the next bus when we saw this particular bus suddenly stopping in front of us and people getting off it. Then we heard a loud sound. There was smoke. My son started crying and he couldn’t move. He was in shock so were we,” Chandara said, trying to get Sithula to stop playing with the saline tube on his mother’s hand.

“The police also arrived at the scene within minutes. My son, who was still in shock, started howling because the sound of the sirens of the police cars and the explosion was too much for him to bear. We got into a trishaw and came to hospital.”, he said, adding that although his little boy is still tearing and rubbing his eyes, he can move his hands and feet with ease again.

Fifty year old Yamuna Rajapakshe was carrying out her day-to-day activities in their boutique which is just by the bus stand. Her husband had gone upstairs and she was towards the rear end of the boutique when the bus came to a halt in front of the shop.“As soon as the bus driver got down, there was a loud explosion. Had I been standing outside the boutique as I sometimes do, I would not have been here to tell you the tale,” Yamuna said. The front of the boutique was completely destroyed and a metal sheet of the bus was found inside it.

Rohini Kumari (53), a mother of two from Pitakotte, was just about to cross the road to board the bus when the blast occurred.“I was in my office at the junction and since it was our tea break I decided I would go to Wellawatte since I had to attend to something. I saw that the bus had stopped on the opposite side and was about to cross the road when I heard a loud noise. I fell on the ground and when I looked up I saw pieces of the bus scattered everywhere.

I rushed back to my office and came to hospital,” Rohini said. Upali de Alwis, a motorist, was travelling ahead of the bus. He was returning after getting his car serviced.“My vehicle was damaged heavily. The windscreen and the upholstery were destroyed,” he said.