7 killed, 26 wounded in Lanka's LTTE-suspected bus blast

Colombo, Apr 7 (UNI) At least six civilians and a military personnel were killed and over 25 people wounded in a suspected Tamil Tiger claymore explosion that hit a passenger bus at Piramanalankulam on the Vavuniya-Mannar road today, military sources here said.

The Defence Ministry said the explosion occurred at around 0730 hrs when the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus was travelling to Vavuniya from Mannar at Piramanalankulam.

Five people, including a soldier died on the spot while two more civilians succumbed to their injuries in the Vavuniya Hospital, a Defence Ministry official told UNI over the phone.

The injured have been taken to the Vavuniya base hospital, the official added.

Vavuniya Hospital officials said the death toll was likely to go up as most of the injured were in a critical condition.

However, there is no reaction from the LTTE so far.

This is the second civilian bus blast within a week.

On Monday, 16 people, including women, children and a government soldier were killed and over 25 wounded in a bus explosion near a military check point in Amparai in Sri Lanka's restive Eastern province.

The civilian bus was passing through a military check point at Kondavedduvan along the Badulla-Amparai main highway when the bomb exploded.

UNI