China-built Sri Lankan Y-12 Plane Crashes, Four Killed

A Chinese-built Y-12 turboprop plane belonging to the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) crashed in the hilly region of Haputale in Uva Province, around 200km from the capital city of Colombo, on Friday.

Sri Lanka Air Force spokesperson Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said that the service has appointed a special investigation team to find the reasons behind the crash of the surveillance vehicle.

The aircraft had taken off from the southern airbase of Wirawila and was heading to Ratmalana, south of Colombo, when it crashed, spokesman Chandana Wickramasinghe said.

“We are still investigating the cause of the crash,” Wickramasinghe said.

Two pilots and two other crewmembers were on board the plane which was on an observation mission.