Highest number of railway crossing accidents in 2009 [December 01 2010]

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

The highest number of 66 accidents at unprotected level crossings in the past ten years were reported in 2009, Parliament was told.

Twenty persons were killed and 83 were injured in these accidents, according to an answer tabled in the House in response to a question raised by UNP MP Gayantha Karunatillake.

The number of accidents have seen an increase since 2005 with 60 reported in that year, 65 in 2007, dropping to 43 in 2008, but reaching 66 in 2009. The number of deaths in 2009 was the second highest reached between 2000-2009 with the exception of 2005 when 48 deaths were reported. The number of injured was also the highest in 2009 at 83. These are a total of 391 protected railway level crossings in the country in addition to 59 that are regulated with a red-light system.