Colombo: A Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter crashed on Friday May 9, killing six of the 12 people on board, the army said.
The staff participated in a demonstration flight and was preparing for a rope jump when his bell 212 plunged into a lake in Maduru Oya, east of the capital Colombo, a military official at AFP told.
They had to make a “rapid rope” maneuver during a ceremony for a graduation ceremony of special forces commandos, presenting their skills by descending from the helicopter while it hovered over the height of the roof.
“There were 12 people on board, and six of them survived with minor injuries,” said the manager, saying that people killed included four commandos and two Air Force artillerymen.
The ceremony was canceled, said the manager, adding that an investigation into the cause of the incident was underway.
Friday's tragedy is the worst for Air Force, because a Y-12 plane built by Chinese crashed in Hartal, 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Colombo, in January 2020, killing the four crew members on board.
In September 2000, a mid -7 helicopter crashed in central Sri Lanka, killing the 15 people on board, making it the worst helicopter accident in the island's history.
