Tamil tigers attacks sri lanka with suicide bombers, 10 deaths reported so far

At least 10 people have been killed in a suicide attack in the heart of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, the army says. Seven police personnel, two civilians and the bomber died when a motorcycle packed with explosives rammed into a bus carrying police, officials said.

The blast happened near the Hilton Hotel and a twin-tower commercial building at around 1230 local time (0700 GMT). Doctor Hector Weerasinghe, director of the National Hospital in Colombo, said 75 people had been admitted with blast injuries.

The area is a high security zone and also the site of the official residence of Sri Lanka’s president and has been targeted in the past by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Ekanjith Rawwalage, head of customer services at the hotel, told BBC News that the blast took place near a police checkpoint outside the hotel.

“It was a loud explosion. It felt like an earthquake,” said Mr Rawwalage. He said some window panes of the hotel had been damaged by the explosion. He said all the guests were safe and the hotel gates had been shut. Mr Rawwalage said he had seen ambulances rushing the injured to the hospital.

The army blamed Tamil Tiger rebels. Violence has risen since the government pulled out of a truce this year.  There was no immediate word from the Tamil Tigers.

The latest attack came as the Sri Lankan military presses on with an offensive to retake the Tigers’ northern stronghold. The Tigers are fighting for an independent state in the north and east of the island in a 25-year civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people

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