7 Buddhist Monks Dead After Cable Car Overturns at Mountain Monastery

At least seven Buddhist monks are reported to have died following a cable car accident in Sri Lanka.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, 13 monks were traveling in a cable car at the Na Uyana Monastery in central Sri Lanka at around 9 p.m. local time when the incident occurred, according to local media outlet Dinamina and CNN, citing local police. Dinamina reported that an iron cable on the cable car had broken and the vehicle had overturned.

The monastery spreads over 5,000 acres of forest on a series of hills, according to its website. It’s also home to around 150 Buddhist monks.

Three of the seven monks killed were foreign nationals from India, Russia and Romania, CNN reported, citing local officials.

Six monks with serious injuries are being treated at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, with two of them reportedly in a critical condition, according to Dinamina.

PEOPLE has contacted the Sri Lanka Police, the Ministry of External Affairs of India, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.

The monks were reportedly traveling in a cable car that had capacity for around six people, per Dinamina.

A video of the scene showed a snapped cable and a pool of blood near the cable car’s structure, according to CNN.

“Some monks had fallen inside the jungle. We had great difficulty finding them. We saw several of them dead where they had fallen,” witness Asanka Siriwardena told Dinamina. “The injuries they had sustained were beyond description. The dakku [cable car] was completely destroyed. Pieces were scattered everywhere. It is very sad about this calamity that befell a group of monks who were practicing meditation.”

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Vijitha Herath also expressed his shock over the news.

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“Shocked by the loss of venerable monks, including international members of the Sangha, in the tragic accident at Na Uyana Aranya Senasanaya,” Herath wrote on X. “Sri Lanka mourns with the Buddhist community worldwide. My condolences to all affected, and prayers for recovery of the injured.”