A suspected Tamil Tiger rebel aircraft bombed a gas storage facility near the capital Colombo early Sunday, setting off a fire, a military official said. The plane dropped two bombs on the station in Kerawalapitiya, 10 kilometers north of Colombo, said a military official who witnessed the attack. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media. The extent of damage to the gas storage facility was not immediately known.
Sri Lankan troops responded by firing anti-aircraft guns and blacked out the country's only international airport, an adjoining air force base and the entire capital, while many people were still awake watching Sri Lanka's cricket team play Australia in the World Cup final on television. |