Saturday, August 30, 2008 - 09:00
AFP News Briefs ListBomb blast in Sri Lanka capital wounds 43
A powerful bomb ripped through a busy commercial area of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Saturday, wounding at least 43 people, security and hospital sources said.
A package left near a fruit vendor exploded in Pettah, the main commercial hub of the capital, police said, adding that the blast was also a short distance away from the main bus station.
"We have sent 43 people to hospital," a military official at the scene told reporters.
A spokesman for the Colombo national hospital said three of the victims were in a serious condition.
Police cordoned off the bustling area following the bombing, which came as government forces kept up a major offensive against separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the north of the island.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, but police and military officials said they suspected the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas.
The Tigers have also been blamed for a string of bomb attacks against public transport in recent months as the military intensified pressure on the rebels' mini-state in the island's north.
Tens of thousands of people have died on both sides since the LTTE launched a separatist campaign in 1972 for a homeland for minority Tamils.
Images
Sri Lankan police, seen here in late July, patrol the streets of the island state's capital city Colombo. A powerful bomb has ripped through a busy commercial area of the city, wounding at least 43 people, security and hospital sources have said.
© 2007 AFP Lakruwan Wanniarachchi
