Flight to take back Muthu Raja arrived

According to the Airport Duty Officer, a cargo plane from Russia arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last night to transport the elephant Muthu Raja back to Thailand, Daily Mirror reported.

The elephant had been donated by Thailand to Sri Lanka. The flight, identified as EZS 5701, arrived at BIA at 11:30 p.m. from Moscow, Russia.

The departure of Muthu Raja from Dehiwala Zoo to Katunayake Airport is scheduled for midnight today.

Subsequently, the Russian cargo flight, carrying Muthu Raja, is expected to depart from BIA at 3 a.m. tomorrow, heading towards Bangkok, Thailand.