By Xinhua
Colombo : At least 20 civilians were killed and over 50 injured in a powerful bomb explosion on a private bus in central Sri Lanka early Saturday, a military spokesman said.
The spokesman blamed the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the blast.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkra said the bus was plying from Kandy to Anuradhapura when it was caught in the explosion at Dambulla, about 150 km northeast of Colombo, around 7 a.m. (0130 GMT).
“Unable to face military pressure in the north, the LTTE is targeting civilians in other areas,” said the spokesman.
“More than 40 people were in the bus when it was hit by the explosion,” said the spokesman, adding that the casualties might increase.
He said police and army have evacuated the injured people to the Dambulla hospital.
The LTTE has been fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east for more than two decades, resulting in the killing of over 70,000.
Clashes between the LTTE and government troops have escalated since a six-year truce was scrapped Jan 16.