A tragic accident occurred last night (24) at the Na Uyana Forest Monastery in Pansiyagama, Malsiripura, when a cable car transporting monks broke down and crashed.
At the time of the accident, 13 monks were on board. Seven of them have been confirmed dead, including three foreign monks. Police said the deceased foreign monks were nationals of Romania, Russia, and India. Their bodies have been placed at the Gokarella Regional Hospital, while the bodies of the other monks have been transferred to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital.
According to reports, the accident happened around 9:00 p.m., shortly after the monks had concluded a religious ceremony at the monastery’s sacred site and were returning to their meditation cells.
Four monks sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, while others with minor injuries were taken to the Polgahawela Hospital.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the accident occurred after a supporting cable of the pulley system used to transport the monks up the hill snapped. Two monks reportedly jumped off the cable car during the accident, suffering only minor injuries and managing to escape death.
Pansiyagama Police have launched further investigations into the incident.
