By DPA
Colombo : A female suicide bomber killed six people and injured at least 90 in Colombo’s main railway station Sunday afternoon, a military spokesman said.
The woman suicide bomber, who arrived by a train at the Fort railway station in the heart of the capital, detonated the explosives, Brigader Udaya Nanayakkara of the Sri Lankan Army said.
He blamed the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are known to carry out suicide attacks.
The woman is believed to have boarded the train at one of the smaller stations where security is not as tight.
At least 10 of the injured people were said to be in serious condition, Deputy Director of the National Hospital Anil Jaysinghe said.
The attack came just hours after a grenade explosion in the national zoo in the Colombo suburb of Dehiwala that injured eight people.
On Saturday 20 passengers were killed when a bomb exploded on a bus in Dambulla, 148 km north of the capital. The government blamed Tamil rebels for that blast.
Security in the capital has been stepped up as the country is marking the 60th anniversary of independence from Britain Feb 4, with a military parade presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Civilians living in and around the capital have expressed fears of more attacks amidst reports that at least seven suicide bombers have entered the city. Suicide jackets were discovered in two locations in the capital during the past week.
Government forces have stepped up military operations against the rebels in the north during the past month and in turn rebels have stepped up their attacks in the southern part of the country.
In three related incidents, including a roadside bomb attack in the southeastern Monaragala district, rebels killed 43 civilians last month.
The government and military commanders have vowed to crush the rebels by the end of the year, but the opposition are skeptical that the rebels who have been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils for the past 25 years can be eliminated within a year.
The government Jan 16 pulled out from a Norwegian-backed truce with the rebels.
Despite the truce, rebels in December 2005 renewed attacks on the security forces, prompting the government to step up military operations. Since then more than 5,800 people have been killed.
The government argued that the truce was not required as the rebels had renewed attacks and in turned security forces had stepped up operations.