Tragedy at Na Uyana monastery, killing seven Buddhist monks is much more than meets the eye

THE tragedy that occurred at internationally famed Na Uyana monastery, killing seven Buddhist monks on the spot and injuring six other Bikkus is another heartrending news that shocked the entire Sri Lanka within the last one month.

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From the wide publicity given over the electronic media, it is reported that this unfortunate accident has taken place when the steel cable attached to the cable cart had snapped mid-journey, sending 13 Buddhist monks plummeting down a 300 meters precipice at a rapid speed without any control.

Apparently, this last batch of Bikkus out of three had been returning from a religious observance when the accident struck at about 21:30 hours. The bodies had been flung to a more than 100 meters distance, according to eyewitnesses and rescuers, which gives the impression that the cart has travelled excessive speed after losing control.

Investigations are underway on the orders of the Mahawa Magistrate who made an inspection of the ill-fated cart and the accident in question to ascertain the causes of the snapped cable, as images showed frayed steel cable, bloodstained clothes, damaged equipment, and poorly maintained corroded tracks on which the cart had travelled.

It is not the intention of the writer to point out the causes for the accident, as a full-scale investigation is underway and it is entirely left to the learned magistrate to give a verdict after ascertaining all the relevant facts.

However, there are a few grey areas that demand closer attention.