A Sri Lankan Airlines flight bound for Sydney was forced to make an emergency landing at the Katunayake Airport late last night after being struck by lightning.The airline said flight UL 606 experienced a lightning strike on one of its engines shortly after departure. As a precautionary measure, the aircraft was diverted back to Katunayake where it landed safely.

Passengers were later re‑accommodated on another aircraft and flown to Australia. The incident is reported to have caused a delay of more than five hours.A spokesperson for Sri Lankan Airlines confirmed that no passengers were injured and the aircraft itself sustained no damage.