Eight Buddhist monks have died after a cable car in Sri Lanka’s northwestern Kurunegala District careened off its track on 24 September. Seven monks, including three foreign nationals, were killed instantly in the accident. Six others were taken to hospital, four in critical condition. Sri Lankan police later confirmed that one of the hospitalized monks, a Sri Lankan, succumbed to his injuries late on Saturday night. Police have described the incident as the country’s worst accident of its kind.
The crash occurred when a makeshift cable-pulled cabin carrying 13 monks plunged down a mountainside near Na Uyana Aranya Senasanaya, a forest monastery renowned for its meditation practice. Officials said the monks had been traveling to isolated meditation huts at the top of the mountain range when the accident took place.
“One of the six monks in hospital succumbed to his injuries late last night,” a police spokesperson said on Sunday. (Hindustan Times)
Funeral services for five of the monks—four Sri Lankans and a Romanian—were held on Saturday at a cemetery near the monastery, attended by members of the monastic community and lay followers. A Russian monk who died in the accident is to be buried alongside the Sri Lankan monk who died in hospital, according to a monastery spokesperson. The remains of the Indian monk who perished have been repatriated to his family in India.
Images showed monks carrying the coffins of their fellow monastics through Na Uyana Monastery on 27 September. The solemn procession reflected the grief of a community shaken by the sudden loss of its members.
Founded as a large meditation center in central Sri Lanka, Na Uyana Monastery spans more than 2,000 hectares of forest land and is home to around 150 monks. The monastery is widely respected as a retreat for intensive meditation practice, drawing monastics from Sri Lanka and abroad.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the cable snapped while the cabin was in motion, sending it hurtling downhill at high speed before it derailed and struck a tree. The authorities are continuing to investigate the causes of the accident and whether safety regulations had been adequately observed.
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, expressed condolences via social media: “Shocked by the loss of venerable monks, including international members of the sangha, in the tragic accident at Na Uyana Aranya Senasanaya. Sri Lanka mourns with the Buddhist community worldwide. My condolences to all affected, and prayers for recovery of the injured.” (CBS News)
The tragedy has drawn sympathy from across Sri Lanka and abroad, highlighting the global nature of the Buddhist community at Na Uyana. Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist nation, with about 70 per cent of its population practicing Theravada Buddhism. The island nation’s monasteries have long served as centers for both local and international practitioners seeking rigorous training in meditation and monastic discipline.
The deaths of the monks underscore the international reach of Buddhist practice and risks faced by those living in remote forest monasteries. For many Sri Lankans, the event is regarded as one of the most devastating losses of the monastic community in recent years.
See more
Eighth monk dies after Sri Lanka cable car crash (Hindustan Times)
Cable car crash kills 8 monks on way to mountain meditation in Sri Lanka (CBS News)
Seven Buddhist Monks Killed in Horror Cable Car Accident (The Daily Beast)
Three foreigners among seven Buddhist monks killed in Sri Lanka cable car accident (MSN)
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