At least 15 people were killed and 16 others injured, including five children, after a passenger bus plunged into a precipice in Sri Lanka’s mountainous region on Thursday night, police said.
The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280 kilometers east of Colombo, when the bus veered off the road and fell into a roughly 1,000-foot ravine, according to police spokesman Fredrick Wootler.
“Initial investigations suggest the driver was speeding and lost control after colliding with another vehicle and guardrails, before the bus toppled off the cliff,” Wootler said.
Emergency responders rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. Authorities have launched a formal probe into the cause of the crash, one of the deadliest in recent months on Sri Lanka’s mountainous roads, which are known for sharp turns and poor visibility.
