News
Tragic end to shramadana
View(s):A bus packed with officials of the Tea Research Institute (TRI) in Talawakelle skidded off the road and went down a 60-foot precipice at a location in Mattakelle yesterday killing one woman employee and injuring 41 others, seven critically, police said.
They said the group was returning after a shramadana they were involved in repairing the same road over which the bus was travelling earlier in the day.
Initial investigations revealed that the driver of the private-owned bus had apparently lost control of the vehicle owing to a sudden mechanical defect.
The injured persons were rushed to the Lindula Hospital and later transferred to the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital.
Seven victims with serious injuries were later rushed to the Kandy General Hospital and are undergoing treatment in Intensive Care, police added.
Officials said that the road on which the mishap took place had been in a state of serious neglect despite several earlier complaints to the relevant road authorities and eventually it prompted the shramadana.
Pix by Shelton Hettiarachchi