Blast shakes SLankan capital, smoke seen rising

Colombo, Aug 8: An explosion shook a central residential neighbourhood in the Sri Lankan capital today and eyewitnesses told Reuters they could see plumes of smoke rising, but the military said there were no immediate details.

''There has been an explosion,'' said Major Upali Rajapakse, senior coordinator at the national security media centre. ''We have no details yet.'' The blast comes as Tamil Tiger rebels fight the military for the 14th day over disputed water supplies in the island's east amid what many analysts and witnesses say is a new episode of the island's two-decade civil war.

REUTERS

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