Kfir clashes into lagoon

Ranil Wijayapala

COLOMBO: A Kfir fighter jet of the Sri Lanka Air Force engaged in a training mission crashed into the Negombo lagoon last evening due to technical fault, Air Force sources said.

Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told the Daily News that the pilot had ejected from the fighter jet after informing about the technical fault in the Kfir to the communication tower at the Katunayake Air Base.

"If the fighter jet tried to land along with the technical fault there could have been a major disaster.

The pilot has averted such a disaster without trying to land with the technical fault," Brigadier added.

The pilot who safely landed in the lagoon was later rescued.