Lankan plane may have been shot down by LTTE

COLOMBO, APRIL 1: Bullet holes found in part of the wreckage of the AN-26 wreckage, which crashed on Thursday killing 40 people, have give...

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COLOMBO, APRIL 1: Bullet holes found in part of the wreckage of the AN-26 wreckage, which crashed on Thursday killing 40 people, have given rise to speculation that the plane was shot down by LTTE fire.

The Weekend Express reported a Russian engineer, who visited the crash site, as saying that part of the wreckage had six bullet holes. The defence ministry had been quick in labelling "technical fault" as the cause of crash.

Meanwhile, the government has appointed a 3-member committee, comprising an air force engineer, a pilot and an air traffic controller, to investigate into the cause of the tragedy, including whether the plane was shot down by enemy fire. An air force officer has said that two experts from Ukraine are arriving here next week to assist in the investigation.

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The paper, quoting a senior air force officer, also said that the pilot of the ill-fated plane had contacted the Anuradhapura Radio Control Room, and talked of some "engine trouble" just two minutes before the crash.

The plane had been chartered by the Lankan Army from Lion Air — a private airline here. Following the crash, all domestic flights between Jaffna and other parts of the country stand cancelled.