Jan 17, Colombo: Three people were killed and five others were seriously injured when a tipper truck collided head on with a car in the Ekgaloya area in Ampara Sunday, police said.

At the time of the accident, the tipper truck was traveling from Damana to Siyambalanduwa and the car was traveling in the opposite direction.

According to the police, the car with eight passengers were passing another car traveling in the same direction at a bend when it collided with the tipper truck coming from the opposite direction.

The driver of the car, a woman passenger and a child who were seriously injured have succumbed to their injuries on admission to the hospital.

The injured were rushed to the nearby Damana Hospital and Ampara General Hospital.

The deceased have been identified as 31-year-old driver, 29-year-old woman and a 4-year-old boy, all residents of Kalmunai. Their bodies are kept at the mortuaries of Damana Hospital and Ampara General Hospital.

Police say the preliminary investigations have revealed that careless driving of both drivers contributed to the accident. The driver of the tipper truck has been arrested.

Damana Police are conducting further investigations.