At least eight people have been killed and 67 injured in a bombing during rush hour on a packed Sri Lankan commuter train, the military says.

The blast hit the Colombo-Panadura train in Dehiwala station, in a suburb of the capital Colombo, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He blamed Tamil Tiger separatists for the attack, the latest in a string targeting public transport.

The military says it defused two bombs found on buses over the weekend.

Ten days ago a suicide bomber on a motorcycle rammed a bus carrying police officers and last month another explosion inside a bus killed more than 20 people.

In February, 11 people died in a suicide attack at Colombo's main train station.

Tamil Tiger separatists were blamed for that incident, although they routinely deny involvement in bombings in the country.

Toll 'could rise'

The army said Monday's explosion occurred at 1650 local time (1120 GMT), and the area had been cordoned off.

Bodies have been pulled from the wreckage and the defence ministry said the number of dead could rise.

Brigadier Nanayakkara told AFP news agency a pregnant woman was among the dead.

Commuter Ramani Padmalatha, 42, told AFP the train suddenly slowed after a "deafening noise".

"People were shouting 'bomb, bomb!' and scrambling to get out of the windows of the carriage... I managed to jump out from the door. People were stumbling out of that carriage with blood stains on their clothes, some with burns, some looking dazed," she said.

Eyewitness R A Upali told the BBC Sinhala service the explosion took place as the train was pulling out of the station.

"I ran to the place where the explosion happened. I saw people fall on the platform. People with minor injuries ran towards us."

The train compartment's windows were blown out and part of its roof was torn off in the blast, which left bloodstained bags and umbrellas strewn among the debris.

Battles are continuing in the north of Sri Lanka, where the military is carrying out an offensive aimed at crushing the rebels by the end of this year.

On Monday air force helicopters attacked Tiger positions a day after fighting on the ground killed 21 rebels and one soldier, according to the military.

Warning

Correspondents say that the number of attacks in the south has increased as the fighting has intensified in the north.

The Tigers have fought for a generation for an independent state for the Tamil minority in the island's north and east.

About 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began in 1983.

Violence in the island nation intensified after the government formally pulled out of a ceasefire agreement in January.

Before the latest outbreak of hostilities, the Tamil Tigers had warned that not only the Tamils in the north, but the majority-Sinhalese in the south would also feel the impact of the war.

The warning has been followed up by roadside bombs, suicide blasts and explosions targeting public transport in the south, although civilians inside rebel-held territory in the north have also become victims of mines allegedly planted by the army.

Analysts say that if the violence continues, the government may be forced to redeploy some troops from the northern battlefront to the south to step up security.

Courtesy: BBC News 

Published in : The News, Asia & Region

Keywords : News, Select Category, Bomb rocks busy Sri Lankan train Bomb rocks busy Sri Lankan train

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