LOC16:22
13:22 GMT
NEW DELHI, April 26 (KUNA) -- The death toll in last night's bomb explosion
near the Sri Lankan capital Colombo rose to 26, with two of the 70 wounded
persons succumbing to their injuries Saturday.
The blast occurred in a Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) bus just after it left
the Pliyandala bus stand (near Colombo), for the nearby town of Kahapola, Sri
Lankan Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told news agency Indo
Asian News Service today.
The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Kalubowila, Piliyandala and
Colombo, he said. Brig. Nanayakkara blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) for the blast.
"The LTTE, unable to face the pressure from Sri Lankan Military in the
northern battlefront, has carried out this cowardly bomb explosion targeting
innocent civilians who were returning home," he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry in a statement today said: "At
least 18 LTTE rebels were killed and similar numbers wounded during clashes
with security forces in the Mannar, Vavuniya and Welioya areas yesterday."
(end)
dr.ajs
KUNA 261622 Apr 08NNNN