Sri Lanka road accident kills 10

Police say three of the wounded are in critical condition

COLOMBO: Ten passengers were killed and another 21 wounded Saturday when a van and a bus collided on a highway in Sri Lanka's former war zone of Jaffna, police said.

All those killed in the head-on collision along the A-9 highway were passengers travelling in the smaller vehicle, police said adding that three of the wounded were in critical condition.

The crash involved a van heading to Jaffna town and a bigger bus travelling in the opposite direction, police said, adding that an investigation was underway.



A police officer told AFP it was the worst crash in the area that he could remember.

Last month, the government proposed significantly raising the average traffic fine of 500 rupees to 25,000 rupees ($166) in a bid to reduce the number of accidents on Sri Lankan roads.

About 3,000 people are killed in traffic accidents in the south Asian country annually.