The tragedy that occurred at Warakapola while returning from Colombo for Deepavali

The journey of a group of people traveling from Colombo to their homes for the Deepavali festival ended in tragedy in the Mahena area of Warakapola, accompanied by a terrifying sound amidst heavy rain. This van, which was traveling from Colombo to Peradeniya and Galaha areas, collided with a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus belonging to the Yatinuwara depot, resulting in the deaths of two men and one young woman.

According to the police, this van was usually used to transport people who commute daily from Peradeniya to Colombo for work. On the 7th, around 3:30 PM, the van departed from Colombo with a group of eleven people, including a young woman, with the aim of taking them home for the Deepavali festival. During the journey, the group stopped near a shop in the Dangowita area of Warakapola for lunch and resumed their journey towards Peradeniya around 4:25 PM.

At the time of the accident, the owner of the van, 42-year-old Mr. Rajani Rajedun, was traveling in the front seat next to the driver. He described the incident he witnessed at that moment as follows.

 "After eating near Dangowita, we set off back towards Peradeniya. I was traveling in the seat next to the driver. Somehow, I had fallen asleep. Suddenly, the van crashed with a loud bang. I woke up. When I looked, I saw the driver was trapped. I couldn't get out from his side, the door was stuck. Then I got out, pulled the door, and got the driver out." It was reported that the van collided with the SLTB bus while attempting to overtake another vehicle.

The police state that there was heavy rainfall in the area at the time of the accident. As they passed Ambepussa in Warakapola and reached the Mahena area, their van collided with an SLTB bus that was traveling from Kandy to Colombo. The five people who survived without any injuries, along with local residents who came from nearby houses, worked together to pull out those trapped in the van. After informing the 1990 ambulance service, the injured were sent to Warakapola Hospital. Mr. Rajani Rajedun states that he learned about the deaths of three people only afterward.

Those who lost their lives in this accident are Rajedran Krishnan, an unmarried man who worked at a welding workshop in Colombo; Somu Sebumalai Aravindan, a father of four; and Manoharan Vatsala, an unmarried young woman. All three died at the scene of the accident, while four others were injured and admitted to Warakapola Hospital. The police stated that five people involved in the accident sustained no injuries.

The post-mortem examinations of the three deceased were conducted on the 8th by Dr. B.A.D.C. Balasuriya, Assistant Judicial Medical Officer at Warakapola Hospital. The Warakapola Inquirer into Sudden Deaths, Mr. Wimalasiri Rajapaksha, ruled that the cause of these deaths was injuries to the head and internal organs due to the road accident.

The driver of the SLTB bus involved in the accident, 44-year-old Dombagahagodage Lalantha Sampath Kumara Kularathna, a resident of No. 50, School Lane, Hasalaka, was scheduled to be produced before the Warakapola Thulgiriya Magistrate's Court on the 8th.
Before this accident occurred, the van owner, who was part of the group, had released a selfie video taken during the journey on the TikTok platform, in which everyone appeared to be traveling happily and joyfully.

Watch the video related to this incident ›