COLOMBO, June 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A drunk truck driver crashed into a crowd waiting for free food for a Buddhist festival near Sri Lanka's capital, killing six people and injuring seven others, police said Monday.

The 42-year-old driver fled the scene after the crash in Meegoda, on the outskirts of Colombo, late Sunday.

He was later arrested, and tests confirmed he was drunk, police said.

The victims had been waiting to receive food distributed as part of the Buddhist festival of Vesak. Sri Lanka records about 3,000 road fatalities each year.