Five Sri Lankan air force officers are feared dead in a plane crash just south of the capital Colombo.
The Chinese-built Y-8 plane burst into flames after
crashing around noon in Nagoda, about 50 kilometres south of Colombo, while on a test flight. So far no survivors have been reported.
The crew took off in the aircraft, purchased in 1993 and capable of carrying about 100 people, and flew for several minutes before the plane's engine caught fire. It plunged into a rice paddy field.
A four-member team is to investigate the cause of the accident.
