M A I N   N E W S

36 soldiers die in Lankan plane crash

COLOMBO, March 30 (PTI) — Forty persons, including 36 Sri Lankan servicemen were killed when a defence plane crashed near north central Anuradhpura today, the Defence Ministry said.

The chartered Russian made Antonov-26 plane crashed near Thalava, a small village, near Anuradhapura while trying to land at a military airbase there, defence spokesman Col. R.P.Withana said here.

The dead included 23 army soldiers, 11 naval sailors, four Russian crew members and two policemen, the spokesman said adding it crashed due to some technical defect and no sabotage was suspected.

The plane was on its way from Palai airbase in Jaffna to Colombo with a stopover at Anuradhapura.

Rescue teams from Anuradhapura and northern Vavuniya town rushed to the crash site to conduct relief operations. Initial reports from the Anuradhapura said the plane broke into several pieces after hitting the ground.

The Sri Lankan air force, which chartered the flight, has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The plane crashed even as the Lankan army is extensively making use of air force planes to rush reinforcements to northern Jaffna where over 17,000 troops are battling a massive LTTE counter attack for the past four days in which over 75 army personnel and 100 LTTE rebels have been killed and 500 security personnel injured.

The battle for the control of Jaffna is still going on.