Colombo: US, Italy Ambassadors injured

Colombo, Feb 27: At least six people, including the US and Italian Ambassadors to Sri Lanka, have been wounded in suspected LTTE shelling in the Eastern Batticaloa district today, military and diplomatic sources here said.

According to the sources, the military helicopter carrying Sri Lankan Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O Blake and Italian Ambassador Pio Mariani, was landing when the shells suspectedly fired by the LTTE hit the landing pad at the Batticaloa Air Force base.

When contacted, a US Embassy official said the Ambassador was out of danger, but refused to give futher details.

Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry in its website quoting initial reports claimed that LTTE has ''launched a mortar attack targeting VIP air movement carrying Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe along with few foreign diplomats around 0900 hrs this morning, wounding the US and Italian Ambassadors.'' The defence sources said the mortars were launched as the two helicopters landed carrying the minister and foreign diplomats at the Webber stadium in the Batticaloa town.

They confirmed that Minister Samarasinghe did not suffer any injuries in the attack.

''However, few people including a foreign diplomat have suffered injuries and a helicopter belonging to a private airliner was slightly damaged in the attack,'' the web report said.

UNI