At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying local tourists plunged nearly 300 metres (1,000 feet) down a ravine in Sri Lanka’s hill country, police confirmed on Friday.
The accident occurred late Thursday in Ella, a popular mountain town about 130 kilometres (81 miles) east of Colombo. Sixteen others sustained injuries.
Authorities said the bus, returning from a holiday trip through the tea plantation highlands, collided with another vehicle before smashing through roadside barriers and plunging off the precipice.
It was the country’s deadliest road crash since May, when 23 passengers perished in Kotmale. Sri Lanka, a nation of 22 million, records an average of 3,000 traffic fatalities annually. Its narrow, winding roads remain among the most dangerous in the world.
About the Author
