Polgahawela level crossing collision

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On April 27, 2005, at Polgahawela in Sri Lanka a serious bus accident occurred on a level crossing.

1 Overview
2 Aftermath
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Overview

The bus was a local one to Alawwa, reportedly carrying over 90 people through the town of Polgahawela, which is 80 km north-east of Colombo. At 8:30AM or 8:45AM local time (UTC+6 hours) the bus ran through the signals and barriers at a level crossing without checking first, and was struck by an express train from Colombo to Kandy. H. A. Sirisena, the train's driver, was quoted as saying "The signal was green and the level-crossing gates were closed, then I saw the bus trying to cross and the next thing I know, the engine was hitting the rear of the bus." It is thought that the bus was participating in a race with another local bus, the winner being the first to cross the level crossing. It is believed the driver did not notice the train in his eagerness to win. The driver, who miraculously survived with only a broken ankle, initially refused to speak about the accident to investigators.

The bus was torn to pieces and the wreckage caught fire, killing many of the badly injured people strewn on the tracks in front of the train, which managed to stop shortly after striking the bus. It is feared that more than 55 people were killed in the disaster, which also injured all the remaining bus passengers. None of the train's passengers or crew were injured in the accident.

[edit] Aftermath

The barriers on the crossing only covered the lane on oncoming traffic, allowing the bus to drive through on the wrong side of the road with visibility obscured further due to vegetation in area. The Sri Lankan government promised to prevent races by private bus companies, who compete for customers by advertising fast journeys, often violating traffic laws to do so. It also promised to crack down on irresponsible road users.