At least 21 killed after bus skids and plummets down mountain by popular scenic waterfall in Sri Lanka

AT least 21 people have died after a bus skidded and fell down a mountainside.

Officials said that 14 others were injured during the horror cliff-side plummet near Kotmale, Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Rescue workers search the wreckage of a bus crash in a wooded area while onlookers observe.
Onlookers watch as rescue workers search the debris at the site of a bus crash near the town of Kotmale, Sri LankaCredit: AP
A crowd of people surrounding a tipped-over truck in a wooded area.
At least 21 people died in the horror bus accident
Rescue workers search for survivors at a bus accident site in Sri Lanka.
At least 14 people were injuredCredit: AP

Shocking TV footage showed the bus lying overturned at the bottom of a precipice.

Recovery workers and civilians helped remove the injured survivors from the wreckage.

It also showed onlookers watch on during the gruelling recovery mission.

The bus made the harrowing plummet along the Nuwara Eliya-Gampola main road, in the Gerandi Ella region.

It sat at the bottom of a mountainside overturned, appearing to be caught up in shrubs and trees.

Chilling images showed the roof of the bus seemingly ripped off, leaving empty chairs exposed.

Reports said the bus was en route from Kataragama to Kurunegala at the time of the fall.

The town of Kotmale is about 140 kilometres east of the capital Colombo.

The driver survived the horrifying ordeal, and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Police said that the vehicle was operated by a state-run bus company.

Brit tourists among dozens injured as bus flipped onto its side in Thailand

According to Prasanna Gunasena, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, 21 individuals lost their lives in the crash. Additionally, 14 more individuals are currently receiving medical attention in different hospitals.

At the time of the accident, nearly 50 people were travelling on the doomed bus.

Fatal bus crashes are not uncommon in the South Asian nation, especially in its mountainous regions.

This is often due to reckless drivers, paired with poorly maintained roads.

The area is popular with tourists due to its picturesque waterfalls littered around the area.

Gerandi Ella falls, located in a mountainous region, boasts stunning views and scenery.

Holiday hotspot Sri Lanka attracts over 100,000 Brit tourists annually according to the UK government.

The island-country lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal.

Large crowd of people gathered on a hillside.
Horrified onlookers watched in the aftermath
View of the Kotmale Reservoir in Ramboda Valley, Sri Lanka.
Kotmale, Sri LankaCredit: Getty

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