Five persons were killed in fatal road accidents reported from various parts of the country during the 24 hour period ending Tuesday. Three of the victims were motorcyclists while a push cyclist too was among the dead.
According to the Police Media Spokesman DIG Priyantha Jayakody (49) a motorcyclist riding towards Ibbagamuwa from Kurunegala on the Kurunegala - Dambulla main road was run over by a lorry after he collided with a small truck driven towards the Ibbagamuwa area on Tuesday at around 11.35 am. He succumbed to the injuries after being admitted to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. The victim has been identified as R.M.B Ariyarathne Rathnayake of Bakmeegolla, Ibbagamuwa.
Meanwhile, another motorcyclist was killed after being knocked down by a van travelling from Trincomalee to Ambepussa on Tuesday around 1.30 pm. The van, which went out of the control r while being driven towards Trincomalee from Kantale, had veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with the motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. The motorcyclist, P.A. jayawardena (70) of Unit 12, Ganthalawa, Kantale died after being admitted to the Kantale Hospital with serious injuries. Another motorcyclist died when a telephone post collapsed on him while riding, close to Polhena junction on the Malwana - Karabugashandiya road on Tuesday around 3.15 pm. According to the police sources, two telephone posts had fallen on the road as the upper part of a container vehicle driven on the road had hit the telephone cables. One of the two telephone posts had fallen on the head of the victim M. Udara Mahesh (21) of Pahala Mapitigama, Hettiyawatte. He succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the Colombo General Hospital.
Meanwhile a push cyclist died after being knocked down by a motorcycle while trying to cross the road from the pedestrian crossing near the Poththodewatte cemetery on the Negambo -Mirigama road on Tuesday around 10.45 am. The victim, H.R. Alean Zoysa (80) of Thimbirigaskattuwa died while receiving treatment at the Colombo General Hospital.
A young girl, aged 22 identified as Thawarasa Vijidha of Thirunagar South, Kilinochchi was killed as the cab in which she was travelling along with two others on the rear seat, crashed into a wall after veering off the road, on Tuesday, at around 2.25 pm. According to police, the fatal accident occurred as the driver of the cab on the Kilinochchi- Kokavil road, lost control the vehicle due to excessive speed.