Six of the 12 people on board a Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter crashed on Friday ( May 9 ) and were killed, according to the military.
A defense official told AFP that the officers were practicing for a cord leap and participating in a demo flight when their Bell 212 plunged into a river at Maduru Oya, south of Colombo.
They were scheduled to perform a “fast-roping” maneuver at a ceremony for the Special Troops’ commandos ‘ graduation, which featured their ability to descend from the helicopter while it was hovering above roof top.
The official claimed that the 12 people on board had survived with minor injuries, and that four soldiers and two Air Force raiders were among those killed.
According to the national, the meeting was ended, and an investigation into the incident’s origin was being conducted.
The air force’s worst tragedy occurred on Friday, two days after a Chinese-built Y-12 aircraft crashed 200 kilometers ( 125 miles ) east of Colombo in January 2020, killing all four of the crew members on board.
The worst plane crash in the island’s history occurred in northern Sri Lanka in September 2000, where all 15 people were killed when the Mi-17 crashed, killing all 15 of the crew.