COLOMBO (NewsRadio); The driver of the bus involved in Friday’s (20) accident in Nanu Oya, Nuwara Eliya which claimed the lives of seven people including three children, has been remanded.
The 62-year-old driver who was arrested yesterday was produced before the Nuwara Eliya District Judge Nalaka Sanjeewa Edirisinghe today.
Accordingly, he was remanded till the 1st of February.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the recklessness of the bus driver led to the accident.
Police confirmed that three children, aged eight, 12 and 13 were among the seven persons who died in the accident in Nanu Oya.
At least 53 individuals sustained injuries in the accident and were admitted to the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital.
Six of those sustained injuries have been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital while three others are still receiving treatment at the Nuwara Eliya Hospital.
Police said a group of students from a prominent boy’s school in Colombo were travelling to Colombo from Nuwara-Eliya following an excursion when one of the buses transporting the students was involved in the accident.
Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the bus collided with a parked van and the van rammed into a three-wheeler resulting in the bus falling 30 metres into a precipice.
The driver reportedly lost control of the bus which resulted in the accident. SSP Thalduwa said 41 children, two teachers and three parents were in the bus at the time of the accident.
Six persons in the van and the three-wheeler driver died in the incident.
Police said eight and 12 year-old girls, a 13 year-old boy, three males aged 26, 27 and 55 and a 43-year-old woman, residents of Nanu Oya and Hatton died in the incident.
The Nanu Oya Police is conducting further investigations.
Meanwhile, following the accident, the Nuwara Eliya District Secretary, Nandana Galaboda announced that heavy vehicles have been temporarily prevented from entering the Radella Shortcut Road along the Nuwara-Eliya-Hatton Road.
Galaboda said vehicles have accordingly been temporarily prevented from entering from yesterday (21).
The District Secretary said he made a request to the Nanu Oya Police to temporarily suspend heavy vehicles from entering the road as several accidents have been reported along the road.
Heavy vehicles were not permitted to use the Shortcut Road in question previously, however, they began using the road once again after it was carpeted and built properly.
