Two Kandy students who were on their way to Big Match Duty died in an accident.

Two school students, who were on their way to perform duties for the annual cricket match scheduled to be held between St. Sylvester's College, Kandy, and Vidyartha College, have tragically lost their lives after being hit by a bus. This fatal accident occurred yesterday morning, on the 2nd, near the Balagolla Ranmal Oya bridge.

Preliminary police investigations have revealed that this motorcycle, which was traveling from Digana towards Kandy, collided with a private passenger bus after failing to control its speed. The student riding the motorcycle died at the scene of the accident, while the other student, who was riding pillion, succumbed to his severe injuries after being admitted to the Kandy National Hospital.

The two students who tragically died were Kasthuri Nethula and Sachin Karunaratne, who were studying in the Advanced Level Mathematics stream at St. Sylvester's College, Kandy. These two students, who represented the security committee of the 66th "Battle of the Babes" cricket tournament that commenced at Pallekele Stadium, had been assigned the duty of checking tickets. They met with this accident while on their way early in the morning to perform these duties.

Deputy Inspector General of Police W.P.J. Senadheera, who is in charge of Traffic and Road Safety, stated that although both students were wearing helmets at the time of the accident, the 17-year-old student who was riding the motorcycle did not possess a valid driving license. He further added that strict legal action would be taken against the person who provided the motorcycle to be ridden without a license. Currently, the private bus involved in the accident and its driver have been taken into police custody.

Due to this sudden tragedy, authorities have taken steps to halt the 66th "Battle of the Babes" cricket match between St. Sylvester's and Vidyartha Colleges midway. Further investigations into the incident are being carried out by the Traffic Division of the Pallekele Police under the direct supervision of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Lalith Pathinayake, who is in charge of the Central Province.