Bus driver convicted for fatal train collision in 2009, arrested after evading court

Polonnaruwa, Feb 14 (Daily Mirror) - A bus driver responsible for a tragic accident on May 16, 2009, at the Sevanapitiya Railway Crossing in Welikanda, which claimed the lives of 15 passengers and left 40 others seriously injured, has been arrested.

Police said the Polonnaruwa High Court issued the verdict in the case, sentencing the driver to death on September 22 last year.

The driver, who last appeared before court on August 05, 2022, failed to attend subsequent hearings, leading to the issuing of warrants for his arrest. 

The Welikanda Police arrested the accused today while he was avoiding courts.

The arrested individual is identified as a 39-year-old resident of Valaichchenai.

The accident occurred when a private bus carrying 70 passengers, including children from the Al-Hizma nursery in Valaichchenai and their parents, collided with a train at the railway crossing. The driver attempted to bypass the rail gate disregarding signals, resulting in the catastrophic collision.

The impact flung the bus about 200 metres away and caused a fire upon collision with the train, which was transporting fuel bowsers and passenger carriages from Gal-oya to Batticaloa. The train engine too sustained extensive damage in the collision.