A 13-year-old has been killed in a hit-and-run accident on the Sinamalé Bridge highway.
The accident took place near the bus terminal in Hulhumalé on Tuesday night, with a bus of Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) colliding into a motorcycle.
The 13-yo girl was in the passenger seat, while a 51-year-old woman was operating the vehicle; the older woman did not sustain any serious injures, according to the police.
While the accident was reported at 10:40pm, both victims were immediately taken for treatment. The woman was taken to Hulhumale Hospital while the young girl was taken to Tree Top Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.
The MTCC bus had fled the scene, but was soon stopped by police near the highway U-Turn and the driver, 54, has been taken into police custody.
Police continue to further investigate the case.
There was another fatal accident involving an MTCC bus earlier this year.
Back in May, a Ukrainian tourist died after being run over by a bus; the driver had fallen asleep while operating the vehicle.
This led to concern over whether MTCC was overworking its drivers. However, MTCC maintains that it does not.
There have also been concern over the safety issues on MTCC buses, with numerous complaints regarding speeding and reckless driving.
