S Lanka monitors say northeast town out of control

COLOMBO, Apr 12 (Reuters) The situation in Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic northeastern port town of Trincomalee was getting out of control today after riots and deaths following an explosion, ceasefire monitors said.

''There seems to be widespread rioting in Trincomalee,'' Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir said.

''Reports are that there has been some shooting and the situation is getting out of control. The truce monitors are unable to go to the scene ... and we need the police and army to restore order.'' The SLMM is an unarmed Nordic staffed mission tasked with monitoring a strained truce between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.

Trincomalee is one of the few towns in Sri Lanka where large numbers of both the island's majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil and Muslim communities live.

REUTERS SI PM1716