Helicopter Flies Low Over Protesting Crowds in Sri Lanka
A military helicopter was seen flying low over protesters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, during a day of demonstrations that saw the country’s prime minister’s office stormed.
Footage posted by Nalaka Hendawitharana on July 13 shows the helicopter flying low over the crowd at least three times in the city’s Galle Face area, a location synonymous with weeks of protests sparked by economic turmoil.
The latest protest came after Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to the Maldives on a military jet with his wife and two security officials, News First reported.
On July 13, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe imposed an emergency law island-wide and ordered security forces to arrest those acting in a “riotous manner,” according to the Daily Mirror.
Rajapaksa had said he would step down on July 13.
The Daily Mirror reported that Wickremesinghe had been appointed as the country’s acting president by Rajapaksa. Credit: Nalaka Hendawitharana via Storyful
