A 52-year-old driver tested positive for cannabis following a high-speed crash in Mattakkuliya that claimed three lives and injured multiple others. He has been remanded in custody until September 30.
The Colombo Magistrate's Court ordered the remand of a 52-year-old Mattakkuliya resident in connection with a fatal road accident that occurred on the evening of September 16. The driver appeared before court on September 17 and was remanded until September 30. According to police, preliminary investigations and a subsequent medical examination confirmed that the driver had been under the influence of cannabis at the time of the collision.
The accident took place around 9:15 p.m. near Ferguson Junction in Mattakkuliya. Police reported that a vehicle travelling at high speed from the Wattala direction lost control and collided with multiple vehicles. The crash resulted in three fatalities and numerous injuries. The identified victims were residents of Grandpass and Mattakkuliya, aged 64 and 44, though investigations into the full circumstances remain ongoing.
Police sources report that seven people sustained serious injuries in the collision and were receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka at the time of reporting. Sources differ on the exact number of vehicles struck in the initial impact: one account describes collisions with three three-wheelers and four motorcycles, while another specifies two three-wheelers and two motorcycles. A total of 13 people were reported as injured across the available accounts.