COLOMBO : Ten persons have been reported dead while several others are injured after a passenger bus had collided on the Kotaleeya Bridge at Manampitiya and plunged into the river.
A bus travelling from Polonnaruwa to Kattankudy has collided on the Kotaleeya Bridge at Manampitiya and toppled into the river, Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said.
Several passengers who were travelling in the bus have been injured following the accident and have been hospitalized, according to police.
However, Polonnaruwa Hospital sources confirmed that 10 persons were killed in the incident.
Moulavi Alawdeen told from Polannaruwe that the bus was fully packed and was going to Kattankudy from Kaduruwela. The people in the area had rescued some 40 people who were locked up in the coach following the accident.
Soldiers from nearby army camps were rushed to the scene and engaged in the grim task of trying to find survivors and recover bodies under floodlights.
