Sri Lanka Crash Kills Muslim Official, 14 More

A Muslim politician often called a kingmaker was killed along with 14 others Saturday when a Sri Lankan air force helicopter crashed into a hill and exploded, officials said.

The copter was flying between the capital, Colombo, and Ampara, 130 miles to the east, where Ports Minister Mohammed H.M. Ashraff was to attend election meetings.

Police ruled out the possibility that the helicopter had been shot down by Tamil rebels, who are fighting to establish a separate homeland in Sri Lanka.

“The probable cause is a technical failure,” a spokesman said.

Just before he boarded the helicopter, Ashraff, 52, wrote a statement withdrawing his party’s legislative support of the government.

The chopper crashed into a hilly area in Aranayake, 40 miles to the east.

Among the dead were a candidate from Ashraff’s party, two supporters, four security personnel and five crew members. The identities of the others were not known.

Ashraff formed the National Unity Alliance (NUA) coalition representing all communities in Sri Lanka and led its main constituent, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which he formed in 1981 to represent the country’s minority 1.1 million Muslims.

His rise in politics gave the Muslim community more clout.