Van collides with train killing five and injuring six

SRI LANKA: Police said a van in which a group of eleven people were travelling on Tuesday night, collided with a train on an unprotected railway crossing, close to the Aluthgama railway station, killing at least five persons and injuring six others, ‘The Island’ reported.

The van was carrying the passengers from Dodangoda area on a sightseeing tour, when it collided with a southbound train from Colombo around 7.30 pm.

All the dead were women and five of the injured comprising an eight-year-old boy, three women and a man had been admitted to the Nagoda hospital, according to the police.

The driver of the van, who was injured in the accident, had been admitted to the Aluthgama hospital where the dead bodies too had been taken.

Further investigations are being conducted by the Aluthgama police.