Eleven lives were lost in road accidents during the recent Sinhala and Hindu New Year holidays, Police said. According to the Police, the majority of the fatalities were motorcyclists, during the reported 48 hour period.
In one incident, a motorcyclist and the pillion rider both succumbed to their injuries when the rider lost control of the motorcycle due to excessive speeding. The accident occurred in the Bulugahamulla area on the Minuwangoda-Veyangoda road on Friday afternoon. The motorcycle had collided with a concrete pole, the Police said, adding that the victims had succumbed to their injuries after being admitted to the Minuwangoda Hospital.
Meanwhile in another accident, a 25-year-old youth was killed when the motorcycle he was travelling in crashed into a tipper which was parked on the roadside in the Uraniya area in Mahiyangana on the Sinhala and Hindu New Year day. The deceased has been identified as Nalinda Pushpakumara, a resident of Uraniya, Mahiyanganaya.
According to the Police, nine out of the 12 road accident victims have been confirmed to be motorcyclists.