Paratrooper killed during practice

Sandasen MARASINGHE

An experienced paratrooper attached to the Commando Regiment was killed yesterday morning at Weeravila when his parachute failed to open.

Military spokesman Major General Ubaya Medawala told the Daily News that paratrooper Lance Corporal Herath from Anuradhapura had fallen into the Weeravila tank when he got himself entangled in the parachute, adding that one of his legs and a rib had fractured in the fall.

Madawala said that the victim had been practising the Free Fall jump at a height of 8,000 feet, when he met with the fatal accident at around 10.30 am.