By Xinhua,
Colombo : The Sri Lankan government has begun paying compensation to the victims of Friday evening’s bomb attack, which was blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said on Sunday..
“We have already paid compensation to 11 victims,” A. C. N. Razak, secretary to the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement said.
The bomb which went off on a crowded bus in the Colombo’s populated suburb of Piliyandala on Friday night killed 26 and injured 72 passengers.
Razak said all married adults would receive 110,000 Sri Lankan rupees (about 1,000 U.S. dollars) while unmarried victims would get 60,000 rupees (about 550 U.S. dollars).
The lone child victim among the victims would be paid 30,000 rupees (about 280 U.S. dollars).
Meanwhile, the police said some 19 people had been detained for suspicion on the bus bomb blast.
The defense authorities have been warning the Sri Lankans to be extra careful when traveling in public buses after a string of attacks on public transport blamed on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.
The government says the rebels are attacking civilians due to their desperation having faced battle field losses against government troops in the Northern and Eastern provinces.