DIYATALAWA, Sri Lanka
Seven people have been killed and 21 injured after a race car ploughed into spectators at a motor event in Sri Lanka.
The crash occurred at the Fox
Hill Supercross race on Sunday in Diyatalawa, an army base town.
Among the dead were four race
officials as well as spectators, including an eight-year-old girl, the army
said.
Police have arrested two
drivers, though their condition remains unclear.
Authorities said a full police
investigation was underway into the crash on the army-owned track. Diyatalawa,
in central southern Sri Lanka, is a former garrison town and the military
maintains an academy there.
"This accident happened
when the car jumped out of the running lane," police spokesman Nihal
Talduwa was quoted by BBC Sinhala as saying.
According to witnesses, the
crash happened soon after another car had overturned on the track.
Officials tried to slow cars
down around the scene by waving yellow lights, but as the cars sped past, one
red car veered off course and crashed into spectators on the side of the
unguarded track.
On social media, Sri Lankans
have criticised the lack of safety barriers on some stretches of the track
Footage widely shared on
social media showed the aftermath of the tragedy - screams in the crowd and
people rushing to the scene.
Five people were killed at the
scene while two later died in hospital. Others remain in a critical condition,
officials said.
Elsewhere on social media, Sri
Lankans have questioned why there were not greater protections, criticising the
lack of safety barriers on some stretches of the track.
The event, run by the Sri
Lankan Automobile Sports Association, has operated since 199 - but this was the
first race in five years due to pandemic restrictions and issues resulting from
the country's economic crisis.
Prior to the state time,
organisers had opened up the event to spectators free of charge and claimed
that about 100,000 people were present.
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