At least seven Buddhist monks, including three foreigners who died in a cable car accident at a Sri Lankan monastery on Wednesday, local police told CNN.
The monks were among 13 people riding cable cars at Nauyana Monastery in central Sri Lanka. It spreads over 5,000 acres of forest in the mountain range, Panshiyagama police said.
Police say the incident occurred Wednesday at 9pm (11:30am (East of the US) at 11:30am). Of the people killed, three were foreigners from India, Russia and Romania, the official said.
CNN reached out to those countries’ foreign ministries for comment.
Images from the crash scene show monks standing in the forest next to the cable car truck. The track itself is on a steep slope and parallels a huge, winding series of steps.
According to the Nauyana Monastery website, the complex is one of the oldest Buddhist forest monasteries in the country, dating back to the 3rd century BC.
According to the website, more than 200 monks live in the complex, but visitors can participate in meditation hideouts and other spiritual events.
