Overview

• A monk injured in the Sept 24 crash died on Sept 28, taking the official death toll to eight in what police called the worst accident of its kind.
• Seven monks, including three foreign nationals, were killed instantly when the cabin plunged down a mountainside near the Na Uyana monastery in Kurunegala district.
• Six monks were hospitalized after the crash, four in critical condition, according to police statements reported by AFP.
• Initial findings indicate the cable failed, sending the cabin downhill before it jumped the track and struck a tree, though the formal investigation remains ongoing.
• Funerals for five victims, including a Romanian monk, were held on Sept 27, a Russian monk will be buried locally, and the remains of an Indian monk were repatriated to relatives in India.