Daily NEWS Srilanka

News of a fatal accident where 3 victims died after sustaining serious injuries when a collision between a bus and lorry took place near a bus-halt along New Galle Road in Egoda Uyana, Moratuwa last Saturday (18) afternoon shook the whole country. Two among the three victims were a 47 year old mother from Egoda Uyana and her 13 year old daughter.

A sack of coconuts and other household amenities were found near the spot where Deepthi Manjula the mother who died. After buying these amenities she had been on her way home with her daughter while engaged in the process of collecting items necessary for an almsgiving ceremony. The

The surprising fact in this case is that her mother had died an year before on the pedestrian crossing close to the bus-halt where Deepthi and her daughter met with their death. Deepthi's mother died from a bus accident similar to this tragic and unexpected bus - lorry collision. It is a stroke of fate that Deepthi too happened to walk along the same route at the same spot with her daughter on their way to the same realm that Deepthi's mother never dreamt of before her death, one year later.

Deceased Deepthi's daughter Thelge Nethmi Diluksha Peris was an 8 Year student of Wekada Bauddhaloka Vidyalaya in Panadura. Deepthi's husband was a three-wheel driver and on this particular day he had been awaiting his wife and daughter at the bus-halt near their house with the idea of preparing the rest of the almsgiving requirements by collecting the said sack of coconuts. They had in fact planned to perform the almsgiving ceremony for a children's home.

A private bus which was heading towards Colombo from Aluthgama at a hectic speed had collided with a lorry which incidentally was moving ahead of this bus at which instance the lorry had got pushed about 50 feet forward after the collision striking the bus-halt which was by the side of the road, causing this tragic accident. The mother and daughter had sustained serious injuries from this tragedy while a certain 68 year old mason too faced injuries in the process. All 3 victims passed away in hospital.

The police said that after the bus struck the lorry if the driver of the lorry had taken action to apply brakes and bring the vehicle to a halt or had swerved it to a side, the accident could have been averted. The villagers who were in a frenzy after the accident had gathered at Moratuwa Police Station in an agitated mood and police personnel from Moratumulla and Angulana Police Stations had to be summoned to bring the situation under control. The whole of Egoda Uyana area has gone into a shock as a result of these two deaths of the mother and daughter.