ISLAMABAD: A Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 212 helicopter engaged in floodrelief operations crash-landed near Wennappuwa in the North WesternProvince on Saturday, resulting in the death of its pilot despite thesuccessful rescue of all five personnel on board.
The aircraft was transporting essential supplies and personnel toflood-affected areas when it encountered technical difficulties shortlyafter takeoff from Hingurakgoda Air Force Base. Eyewitnesses reported thehelicopter spinning before making a hard landing in a marshy area.
Rescue teams from the Air Force, Navy, and local authorities reached thesite within minutes. All five occupants, including three crew members andtwo officers, were pulled from the wreckage alive, though several sustainedcritical injuries.
The pilot, Wing Commander Nirmal Siyambalapitiya, remained at the controlsuntil the last moment to steer the helicopter away from populated areas, adecision that likely prevented greater catastrophe but left him with fatalinjuries.
Wing Commander Siyambalapitiya was airlifted to the National Hospital inColombo where medical staff fought for hours to save him. Despite intensivetreatment, he succumbed to severe internal injuries in the intensive careunit on Saturday evening.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed profound grief, describing theofficer as a national hero who laid down his life while serving the peopleduring one of the worst flooding episodes in recent years.
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Air Force Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa visited the bereaved familyand announced that Wing Commander Siyambalapitiya would be accorded fullmilitary honours at his funeral scheduled for Monday.
The disaster management authorities confirmed that relief operationscontinue unabated despite the tragedy, with additional helicopters deployedto the worst-hit districts of Puttalam, Gampaha, and Colombo.
Source: www.airforce.lk/news.php?news=3782″>https://www.airforce.lk/news.php?news=3782