Army Lance Corporal honored for saving lives in deadly Ella bus crash

A special ceremony was held in Wellawaya to honor Lance Corporal W. M. V. M. Bandara of the Sri Lanka Army Special Forces for his courageous actions during the recent fatal bus accident on the Ella–Wellawaya main road.

Lance Corporal Bandara was the first to jump into the overturned bus and rescue the injured passengers following the tragic bus accident on the Ella–Wellawaya main road which occurred on September 4.

The event was organized by the United Welfare Association of Wellawaya, with the participation of the army officer W. M. V. M. Bandara, his mother, Monaragala District Parliamentarian Chathuri Gangani, and W. Nihal, Chairperson of the Wellawaya Pradeshiya Sabha.

During the ceremony, a memorial was unveiled and several awards were presented to recognize the bravery and selflessness of Lance Corporal Bandara.

The bus crash, which claimed the lives of 16 people and injured some 18 others, occurred when the bus, carrying a group of employees from the Tangalle Municipal Council and their family members who had been on an excursion, veered off the road and toppled down a precipice of approximately 500 metres before coming to a halt. 

The group had been returning to Tangalle from Ella at the time of the accident. Police said around 30 people were on board the bus when the incident took place.

Two of those who assisted in the rescue, including Lance Corporal Bandara, sustained injuries but have since recovered and were discharged from the hospital.