Bomb kills 18 on bus in central Sri Lanka
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Saturday, February 2, 2008; 5:53 AM
COLOMBO (Reuters) - A bomb exploded on a civilian bus in the central Sri Lankan town of Dambulla on Saturday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 50, the military said.
The explosion was the latest in a series of bomb attacks blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelan (LTTE), the rebel group fighting to create an independent state in the island's north and east.
"There were 18 people killed and not 20 as earlier," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. He said 50 others were injured in the blast, but hospital authorities counted dozens more.
"The explosion is a work of the LTTE."
The military said the victims were traveling north from the central town of Kandy to Anuradhapura to attend a religious ceremony.
Hospital authorities said many of those hurt had had serious head injuries or suffered burns.
"We have got about 93 injured," said Dr. Sudarshana Arambegedera, director of Dambulla Hospital, adding 16 of the fatalities were women.
Dambulla is around 150 km (90 miles) north of the capital Colombo.
Local television showed footage of the aftermath of the explosion. The bus's roof was partly blown off, windows were shattered and the vehicle's steel frame bent and torn.
Many of the injured were taken to hospital by civilian vehicle.
The attack came as Sri Lanka was preparing to celebrate on Monday its 60th year of independence from Britain, and the military had stepped up security over concerns of attacks.
The Military also said they found two suicide jackets and some other war materials near a fish stall in a suburb of the capital, Colombo, hours after the blast.
