12 Naval officers injured, 4 critically in clash with illegal sand miners

29 January 2019 06:39 pm

Twelve Navy officers were injured, four critically, during a clash that took place when naval officers confronted illegal sand miners at Kandakadu in Kinniya this morning, the Navy said.

Navy Spokesman Isuru Suriyabandara said shots were fired persons who were mining sand illegally attempted to resist the navy personnel who raided the site.

He said the illegal sand miners were thought to have attacked the STF and Navy officers as a pre-planned move.

However, we will be increasing the number of officers when raiding more areas where illegal sand mining is taking place.

The Navy fired into the air to quell a tense situation that had arisen between some naval personnel and illegal sand miners at Kandakadu in Kinniya this morning

He said the Navy and the STF are frequently conducting raids on illegal sand mining in the Mahaweli River basin on the instructions of the President and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau.