30 mm gun misfires near Colombo airport, injuring four

A 30 mm cannon of a Kfir jet fighter accidentally went off during maintenance at the Sri Lankan Air Force, reports PK Balachandran.

A 30 mm cannon of a Kfir jet fighter accidentally went off during maintenance at the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) base adjacent to the Colombo international airport on Sunday, injuring four Air Force personnel.

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Informed sources told Hindustan Times that one of the injured air men had to be rushed to a hospital in Colombo city, 30 kms away.

The Colombo international airport, which is next to the military air base at Katunayake, had been re-opened for 24 hour traffic only on July 1, after a two month closure during nights, forced by three nocturnal air raids by the LTTE's Tamileelam Air Force (TAF) over March and April.