(COLOMBO) – At least 35 persons die each day from accidents in Sri Lanka with motor traffic road fatalities topping the list, the island-nation’s Health Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana revealed.
Some one million people are admitted to hospitals and 12,000 deaths are reported each year in the country due to various accidents, Pathirana said.
This staggering figure only goes on to highlight the significant danger and urgency surrounding this festering issue, the Minister said.
He was speaking at an International Conference on Injury Prevention held in Colombo recently.
“Traffic accidents result in approximately 3,000 annual fatalities, suffocation claims the lives of around 2,000 individuals, while drowning and falls contribute to an additional 1,000 and 1,500 deaths respectively.
Various types of poisoning lead to approximately 1,200 fatalities, while hundreds more succumb to electrocution, burns and animal attacks. Individuals aged between 15-44 are the most vulnerable to these accidents,” he said.
Dr. Pathirana expressed his full commitment to implementing effective policy actions in response to this crisis.
The bulk of the road accidents have been repeatedly blamed on private-owned passenger buses known for their eccentric speed and tuk tuk operators.
Careless pedestrians and other road users also contribute to a large number of accidents and fatalities, he said.
