|
|
 |
 |
|||
An airforce Antonov AN-26 aircraft carrying 36 security forces personnel and 4 crew members crashed today near the northern town of Talava, 9km outside of Anuradhapura, killing all on board. Responding swiftly to news of the tragedy, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga issued a statement of condolence to the relatives of the deceased this afternoon, in which she noted the bravery and significant contribution made by the army forces personnel who lost their lives. According to officials, the plane was ferrying 23
army, 11 navy and 2 police personnel from Palaly to Colombo to attend
funerals of colleagues and relatives killed in recent fighting in the
Jaffna peninsula. Initial reports suggest that the crash – the second involving an Antonov aircraft this week – was due to a technical fault occurring in one of the aircraft’s engines. Officials said the pilot had reported a
fire in one engine shortly before the plane crashed. An airforce rescue team sent an investigative team to the
site of the crash to determine the cause of the crash found the wreckage
still in flames. An investigation is stillunderway into the cause of last week's incident involving an Antonov AN-12 aircraft, which crashed as it made its third attempt to land at Sri Lanka's busy Bandranaike International Airport. Last week's crash killed six crew members and three people on the ground.
|
|
Contact Information: Send
mail to