What happened
On a scheduled flight departing from Palaly Airport at 13:40 local time, an aircraft bound for Colombo experienced a catastrophic event during its ascent. While the aircraft was climbing to an altitude of 8,000 feet, the captain notified Air Traffic Control of a cabin depressurization event that occurred immediately after an explosion was heard. Following this incident, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent.
The aircraft crashed into the ocean approximately 2 km south of Iranativu Island, situated 45 km south of Jaffna. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate. There were 55 fatalities among the 48 passengers and seven crew members on board. A portion of the wreckage, roughly 30%, was recovered in May 2013.
Findings
Initial reports indicate that an explosion led to the loss of cabin pressure and the subsequent uncontrolled descent of the aircraft.