Helicopter crash in Sri Lanka kills six military personnel
A Bell 212 helicopter had crashed into the Maduru Oya reservoir in central Sri Lanka with a dozen armed forces personnel on board.
Six died after they were rescued and rushed to hospital, Sri Lanka Air Force spokesman Group Captain Eranda Geeganage said.
Sri Lanka's bondholders sign off on $12.55bn debt overhaul
'The helicopter was assigned to conduct a grappling exercise at a passing-out parade. Four special forces personnel and two Air Force gunmen died of their injuries,' Geeganage told Reuters.
He declined to give details on the possible reason for the crash.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
From flood shelter to ray of hope: GGPS Chanri remains resilient
A woman, who is a flood victim, looks after children while taking refuge at a relief camp following rains and floods during the monsoon season, in Sehwan, Pakistan September 9, 2022. REUTERS In the aftermath of the devastating 2024 floods that swept away homes and halted education across Badin, Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) Chanri has emerged as a symbol of resilience. The GGPS Chanri, once ill-equipped to handle repeated disasters, has been transformed into a safe space for learning and shelter through UK support under the BRAVE (Building Resilience and Addressing Vulnerability in Emergencies) programme. The 2024 floods were not the first to batter Chanri village. Each time disaster struck, families sought refuge in the school, with up to 175 people crammed into its limited space but conditions were dire. "There were no toilets, no clean water, no lights," recalled a teacher and activist Faheem Ali Memon. "Women and children suffered the most." That reality has now changed. Through the BRAVE programme, implemented with Concern Worldwide and the SAMI Foundation, the school has been upgraded with functioning toilets, handwashing stations, and a hand pump for clean drinking water. A five KW solar power system keeps lights and fans running even during outages, allowing families to stay cool, safe, and connected in emergencies. These improvements have gone beyond disaster response as they have revitalised education. Hygiene sessions led by the school's Hygiene Club are instilling healthy practices in children, who in turn share them with their families. Enrollment has risen by 20 per cent, with more girls attending regularly. "This support has brought back our dignity," said Mairaj, a local elder. "Now, when floods come, our women and children have a clean, private place to stay. It is more than a shelter- it gives us strength." This year's monsoon rains continue to threaten communities across the country, but BRAVE remains active, supporting vulnerable areas and standing ready to mobilise a national-level response if disaster strikes again. APP
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Express Tribune
26 migrants dead in two shipwrecks off Italy
At least 26 migrants died Wednesday when two boats sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island on Wednesday. Photo REUTERS At least 26 migrants died Wednesday when two boats sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island, with around 10 others still missing, the coastguard and UN officials said. Around 60 people were rescued after the sinkings in the central Mediterranean, a stretch between North Africa and Italy described by the UN as the world's most dangerous sea crossing for migrants. The two boats had left Tripoli, Libya, earlier in the day, according to the Italian coastguard. It said one of the boats started taking on water, causing people to climb onto the other boat, which itself then capsized. "Currently 60 people have been rescued and disembarked in Lampedusa, and (there are) at least 26 victims. The toll is still provisional and being updated," the coastguard said in a statement. Italy's Red Cross, which manages Lampedusa's migrant reception centre, said the survivors included 56 men and four women, updating a previous toll of 22 dead. Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesman for the UN's migration agency (IOM), said around 95 people had been on the two boats. Given how many had been saved, "approximately 35 victims are feared dead or missing", he wrote on social media. Among the first to be transported to the Lampedusa mortuary were the bodies of a newborn, three children, two men and two women, according to Italy's ANSA news agency. Lampedusa, just 90 miles (145 kilometres) off the coast of Tunisia, is often the first port of call for people trying to reach Europe in leaky or overcrowded boats. In recent years, Italian authorities have sought to intercept the boats at sea before they arrive. It was a helicopter from Italy's financial police that spotted a capsized boat and several bodies in the water on Wednesday, about 14 nautical miles off Lampedusa, the coastguard said. Five vessels were searching for survivors, including one from the EU's Frontex border agency, alongside a helicopter and two aircraft, it said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims and vowed to step up efforts to tackle migrant traffickers.
Express Tribune
08-08-2025
- Express Tribune
At least 30 injured after train derails in southern Iran
A file image shows a train after derailment is seen near Tabas, Yazd province, Iran June 8, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article A train derailed in the southern Iranian province of Kerman on Friday, injuring more than two dozen people though no deaths were reported, according to local media. "Thirty people were injured when a train derailed on the Kerman-Zarand railway path," Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Red Crescent Society's Relief and Rescue Organization, told the Mehr news agency. A statement from the public relations office of the national railway body carried by the Tasnim news agency reported that after "the timely arrival of railway technical personnel and rescue forces, all passengers safely exited the train". Read More: Pakistan, Iran set $10b trade target Train derailments are not uncommon in Iran, and while they do not generally result in deaths, there have been fatal disasters in the past. In June 2022, 21 people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed near the central Iranian city of Tabas after hitting an excavator beside the track. In 2016, two trains collided and caught fire in northern Iran, killing 44 people and injuring scores.
