KOTMALE, Sri Lanka — A state-run passenger bus careened off a cliff in Sri Lanka’s central highlands early Sunday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 14 others, officials said, in one of the country’s deadliest recent road accidents.
The crash occurred in the mountainous Kotmale region, approximately 140 kilometers (86 miles) east of the capital, Colombo. Police reported that the vehicle veered off a winding road and plunged down a steep slope in Sri Lanka’s famed tea-growing hill country.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena confirmed the death toll in a statement to local media, adding that the injured were receiving treatment at regional hospitals. Among the hospitalized is the bus driver, who survived the crash with injuries.
According to initial reports, around 50 passengers were aboard the bus at the time of the accident. The bus, operated by a government-run transport service, was traveling through a notoriously treacherous section of road when it lost control.
Television footage from the scene showed the mangled wreckage lying at the base of the cliff, surrounded by rescue workers and local residents helping to extricate the injured from the debris.
Deadly bus accidents are tragically frequent in Sri Lanka, particularly in the central highlands where narrow, poorly maintained roads, steep inclines, and reckless driving contribute to a high rate of fatalities. Transport officials have repeatedly called for better regulation and road safety improvements, especially for public transit operating in remote and hilly areas.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of Sunday’s crash.
