Emergency & Safety

National hotlines

Police
Police emergency 119 Ambulance (Suwa Seriya)
Free national ambulance 1990 Tourist Hotline (SLTDA)
Tourism complaints & help 1912 Disaster Management
Floods, landslides, alerts 117 Fire & Rescue (Colombo)
Fire & ambulance (Colombo MC) 110 Expressway hotline
Breakdowns & accidents on E01 to E04 1969
Official Sri Lanka emergency services Police 119 Suwa Seriya 1990

If you are in a road accident

  1. 1 Hazard lights on, then check everyone in both vehicles.
  2. 2 Call 1990 for the free ambulance if anyone is hurt. Injuries come before paperwork.
  3. 3 Do not apologise or admit fault. It is treated as an admission of liability by police and insurers.
  4. 4 Refuse any cash settlement offered on the spot. Not reporting the incident voids your rental agreement and every insurance policy on the car.
  5. 5 Call 119 for traffic police. Leaving the scene is a criminal offence.
  6. 6 Photograph the wide scene, then the damage, then number plates, then the other driver's licence and insurance.
  7. 7 Call your rental company's 24-hour line. Most will send someone to handle the police and translate.
Every insurance claim here needs a police report, however minor the damage. On the expressways call 1969 instead, which dispatches recovery and medical help across the whole tolled network.
Rental insurance The excess and the police report explained

Tourist Police

Tourist Police, Fort, Colombo +94112421052
Tourist Police, Galle
Tourist Police, Kandy
Tourist Police, Sigiriya
Tourist Police, Trincomalee
Tourist Police, Jaffna

Hospitals

National Hospital of Sri Lanka
Government (tertiary) +94112691111
Lanka Hospitals, Colombo
Private +94115430000
Kandy General Hospital
Government
Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, Galle
Government
Trincomalee General Hospital
Government

Pharmacies

Union Chemists, Colombo
24-hour branches in Colombo
Healthguard Pharmacy, Kandy
Chain pharmacy
Osu Sala (State Pharmacy)
Government pharmacy, generics

Embassy directory

Embassy of the UAE, Colombo
Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Colombo
High Commission of India, Colombo
Official site
British High Commission, Colombo
Official site
Embassy of Germany, Colombo
Australian High Commission, Colombo
Embassy of China, Colombo
Embassy of the United States, Colombo
Official site

Embassy addresses/hours change, always confirm on the mission's official site before visiting. In a life-threatening emergency, call the hotlines above first.