By SPA,
Colombo : Nine people, including six police, were killed and 90 others injured in a bomb explosion when a suicide bomber drove a motorbike into a bus carrying police personnel in central Colombo, reported the Ministry of Defence, according to DPA.
The explosion went off near a security checkpoint on the road leading to the president’s office within a high security zone at noon (0630 GMT), army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.
Two of those killed and many of the injured were civilians, said the defence ministry.
Dr Hector Weerasinghe, director general of National Hospital, said that more than 90 people have been already admitted to the hospital,
and 20 of the injured were police personnel.
The incident took place behind the Colombo Hilton Hotel, however there were no reports of any injuries to tourists.
Initial reports said that a three-wheeler packed with explosives had rammed a police bus which was parked on the road.
The Ministry of Defence claimed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were responsible for the attack.
The police were assembling to provide security for a planned opposition demonstration during the swearing-in of the newly-elected chief minister for the eastern province.
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, a member of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) party – a breakaway group of the Tamil Tigers, has been picked as the chief minister for the eastern province.
The military had ousted Tamil rebels in military operations earlier this year and provincial elections were held there Saturday.
Similar military operations are in progress in the northern province to recapture rebel-held areas.