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Bus bomb kills 16 in Sri Lanka
At least 16 people, including three children, were killed and 25 wounded when a bomb ripped through a crowded bus in eastern Sri Lanka Monday, officials said.The defence ministry immediately accused Tamil Tiger rebels of setting off the parcel bomb attack, which coincided with a key Buddhist holiday, while the guerrillas denied they were responsible for the attack. Passengers were getting off the vehicle to be checked by troops manning a road block when the blast occurred outside the town of Ampara, 350 kilometres east of the capital Colombo, a local police officer said. The bomb went off just at the Kondawattuwan check point, the police officer said. We now believe that the blast was aboard the bus. It was most likely a parcel bomb. The head of the main hospital there, Lankathilaka Jayasinghe, said three people were already dead when they were brought in on a day when many people were taking advantage of the weeklong holiday. Three people were dead on admission and 13 others died in hospital, Jayasinghe said, adding that 25 more people were being treated for injuries. Three children and 11 women, including a woman soldier, were among the dead. Posted by: Fred 2007-04-03 |
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