Brake Failure Identified as Cause For Diyatalawa Bus Accident

COLOMBO (News 1st): Police say the cause of the bus accident near the Diyatalawa Railway Station was due to a malfunction in the vehicle braking mechanism.Police said the brake failure occurred when the SLTB bus was diverting from the main road onto the railway station road.Forty-four people were injured in the accident.They are currently receiving treatment at the Diyatalawa Base Hospital. Police said none of the injured are in serious condition.Meanwhile, police said five people have died and 85 others have been injured in road accidents reported during the past 24 hours.One person died and two others were injured when a lorry driver lost control and veered off the road in the Kudawewa area along the Aralaganwila - Polonnaruwa road.Police also said a 27-year-old resident of Galnewa died when a cab collided with a motorcycle near Rajina Junction along the Thambuttegama–Galnewa road.In another incident, a 58-year-old woman died after being hit by a lorry in the Mirahawatta area along the Welimada–Bandarawela road.In another incident a 40-year-old man died when a motorcycle collided with the rear trailer of a parked tractor on a bypass in Minuwangoda.One other person was injured in the incident.Police added that a pedestrian died after being hit by a bus in Molagoda along the Colombo–Kandy road. The victim was a 50-year-old resident of Molagoda.Meanwhile, 38 people were injured when two buses collided in Gandara–Talalla yesterday.