Ada Derana

Highly Factual

A training aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has crashed in the Wariyapola area, according to the SLAF Spokesman. The aircraft, identified as a K-8 jet manufactured in China, was reportedly on a training mission when it suddenly went out of radar contact and later crashed at Minuwangete, Wariyapola. Both pilots had ejected safely and descended by parachute, avoiding any injuries, while the jet has caught fire, he said. No casualties have been reported following the incident.

Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

Colombo, March 21 (Daily Mirror) - The Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, has appointed a special investigation committee to probe the crash of the K-8 trainer jet. The K-8 aircraft, used for advanced training of pilots assigned to the No. 05 Fighter Squadron at the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Katunayake, crashed this morning in the Wariyapola area, Kurunegala, during a training exercise. The two pilots aboard the aircraft safely ejected and landed at the Minuwangate College premises in Padeniya,  Kurunegala with the assistance of parachutes. The Chief Training Instructor Pilot and the Trainee Pilot were evacuated and are currently receiving treatment at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. The aircraft had taken off from the Katunayake base around 07:27 am, with the crash occurring at approximately 07:55 am. Following the incident, the Commander of the Air Force appointed a seven-member Special Investigation Committee to look into the cause of the accident.

Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

Wariyapola, March 21 (Daily Mirror) - A Chinese K-8 trainer jet of the Sri Lanka Air Force crash-landed in Wariyapola a short while ago, the Sri Lanka Air Force reported. It is reported that the aircraft, which had taken off from the China Bay Air Force Base in Trincomalee, lost radar contact before the crash. They said that the pilot and co-pilot ejected from the aircraft before the crash.

Ada Derana

Highly Factual

A small commercial plane crash off the coast of Honduras left 12 people dead, including a well-known Garifuna musician, authorities said. The Lanhsa Airlines flight crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff Monday night from the island of Roatan en route to the mainland city of La Ceiba. It carried 17 passengers and crew, five of whom were rescued and hospitalized. Police reported that the plane failed to reach full altitude and sank quickly after impact. Local fishermen rescued the survivors. The Honduran Civil Aeronautics Agency said the crash is under investigation. Among the victims was Aurelio Martínez Suazo, a former member of Congress and member of the Garifuna ethnic group, which is of mixed African and Indigenous heritage. Martínez Suazo also held U.S. citizenship. His representative, Helene Odile Guivarch, a French citizen, was among the survivors. Martínez Suazo was originally from Honduras’ Gracias a Dios region along the country’s Caribbean coast. “We’re devastated,” his nephew Ángel Aparicio Fernández Martínez, also a musician who played with his uncle, said Tuesday. “He was the family’s pillar.” Martínez Suazo was a member of Los Gatos Bravos before forming his own group Lita Ariran. His first album “Garifuna Soul” took him to Europe, the United States and other parts of the world. “He was the greatest model from Honduras of Garifuna music on a worldwide stage,” his nephew said. Humberto Castillo, president of the Association of Afro-descendants of the Sula Valley, called Martínez Suazo “the ambassador of Garifuna culture,” noting that he spoke Garifuna and Miskito and composed music in both languages. The victims bodies were taken from Roatan to the morgue in San Pedro Sula. Source: AP --Agencies

Daily Mirror

Factual

Preliminary reports indicate that the cargo plane was returning from Dhobley town in the Lower Juba region after delivering supplies to the African Union forces when it crashed on Saturday, March 22 at around 5:43 pm local time. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that the aircraft crash occurred approximately 24km southwest of Mogadishu. The aircraft involved was a DHC-5D Buffalo, with serial number 109 and registration 5Y-RBA. According to SCAA, the aircraft was operated by Trident Aviation Ltd. “There were five persons on board (POB), all of whom have tragically lost their lives. The flight had departed from Dhobley (HCDB) and was en route to Aden Abdulle International Airport (HCMM),” the statement reads. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority further said that government agencies, along with partners, are already on-site for search and rescue purposes. Initial reports on Saturday indicated that 4 Kenyan nationals were on board on the plane. The cargo plane is said to have experienced mechanical problems on Saturday while it was in Dhobley but reports further said that it was fixed, according to the Somaliland Standard. SCAA has said that it shall provide more information about the tragedy as soon as it becomes available, while promising to conduct a thorough investigation in collaboration with the government to determine the cause of the accident.