15 Dead After Bus Crashes and Plummets 1,000 Feet Off Cliff in Sri Lanka

Fifteen people have died, and 16 others are injured, including five children, after a bus crashed and plummeted 1,000 feet down a cliff in Sri Lanka, officials said.

The fatal incident occurred on the night of Thursday, Sept. 4, a Sri Lankan police spokesperson told the Associated Press.

The spokesperson said an initial investigation revealed that the driver was speeding when the bus collided with another vehicle and guardrails before veering off the road and falling nearly 1,000 feet. None of the victims has been identified at this time.

The crash happened near Wellawaya, a town less than 200 miles east of the nation’s capital city of Colombo, Sky News reported.

A group of local tourists was aboard the bus, making their way home from a vacation, according to the Agence France-Presse.

Dramatic video, published by the AP, shows emergency workers rushing to respond after the crash as victims are carried away from the scene on stretchers.

Nearby tourists, including healthcare workers, also scrambled to assist first responders with the rescue efforts, the Daily Mirror, a Sri Lankan newspaper, reported.

The country experiences a high rate of fatal bus incidents due to a combination of mountainous terrain, reckless drivers and narrow, ill-maintained roadways, according to the AP.

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In May, more than 20 people died near the village of Kotmale in Sri Lanka after a bus skidded off a cliff and into a ravine.