10 passengers injured in accident in Kaarainakar

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 January 2008, 17:34 GMT]
A bus carrying passengers from Kaarainakar to Jaffna Friday around 8:30 a.m, slipped off Ponnaalai bridge road that was submerged in floods, causing serious injuries to two of the passengers and minor injuries to several others, sources in Jaffna said. The passengers in the bus were mostly relatives and well wishers of the assassinated Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran, who were returning to their places after attending events Thursday in Maheswaran's home town Kaarainakar.

The two seriously injured passengers, rescued by passersby, were rushed to Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

Those with minor injuries, were taken to Moolay hospital, and later returned to their homes after treatment.

Ponnaalai Bridge which serves more as a the causeway between Kaarainakar and Jaffna peninsula across the lagoon had been neglected long without proper repairs and maintenance, leaving the road with potholes and loose metal.

Besides, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has constructed check post points at both ends of the bridge, narrowing the road with blade wire fences making driving difficult, the injured passengers said.

The driver of the bus had cleverly handled the situation preventing the bus from drowning completely in the lagoon and thus had saved the lives of all the passengers, the sources said.