4 critically injured in southern expressway collision

Four individuals sustained severe injuries during the early hours of today (06) when a truck crashed into the rear of a container vehicle near the Welipenna service area on the Southern Expressway. Police reported that the incident occurred around 5:30 AM when a bowser carrying cement powder collided with the stationary container.

The container truck, transporting raw materials for tire manufacturing from Colombo to Midigama, had stopped on the side of the road to address a flat tire. While the driver was in the process of changing the tire, the cement mixing vehicle traveling toward Matara struck the rear of the container.

Three individuals, including the driver of the cement mixer, became trapped inside the wreckage following the impact. Dr. Kithma Gunaratne from the Kamburupitiya Base Hospital and her husband, Dr. Vidwa Kaluthota from the Derangala Primary Health Care Center, happened to be passing the site and stopped to provide emergency medical assistance for over two hours.

Special Task Force (STF) officers worked alongside the medical duo to stabilize the victims, administering oxygen to those trapped. While two passengers were quickly extricated by cutting through the vehicle's metal frame, it took nearly three hours to safely remove the driver.

All four injured parties were transported to the Nagoda Hospital for urgent treatment. The cleanup and rescue operation resulted in a single-lane closure for approximately two hours, causing significant traffic congestion on the Matara-bound track.