Five Die As Tree Crushes Bus In Sri Lanka

The police in Sri Lanka reported that five passengers were crushed to death in Sri Lanka on Friday when a large tree fell on a state-run bus in the heart of the capital Colombo.

Nine of the passengers were rescued from the wreckage and admitted at the hospital where their condition was said to be stable.

There were about 20 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

“The bus had stopped at the Kollupitiya stand to pick up more passengers when the tree crashed on it. It had rained overnight and the tree had become unstable,” a police official said.

He said an investigation was launched to determine whether the municipal government had failed to properly maintain trees lining streets in the upmarket neighbourhood.