A customer bus in Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hills state skidded off a cliff on Sunday, killing 21 people and injuring at least 14 others, according to a government official. According to police, the accident took place in a mountainous region of central Sri Lanka, about 140 kilometers (86 miles ) east of Kotmale, which is located about 140 kilometers (86 miles ) east of Colombo’s capital. Prasanna Gunasena, the deputy minister of transportation and bridges, reported to the internet that 14 people were killed in the collision and are receiving medical attention in hospitals. The vehicle was seen on local television laying overturned at the bottom of a cliff as employees and some aided in rescuing injured persons from the wreckage. Among those who were admitted to the hospital for cure was the pilot, who suffered injuries. Almost 50 people were on the vehicle at the time of the crash. According to the police, the van was run by a state-run vehicle business. In Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous parts, fatal bus accidents are frequently caused by careless driving and narrow and ill maintained roads.
