Suspect planes spark Sri Lanka alert, gunfire heard

COLOMBO, Apr 28 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's military went alert tonight when radar detected a suspect plane, military sources said, and witnesses said they heard explosions and firing in the capital Colombo.

''I can hear gunfire. I can see flashes going up into the sky above the city,'' a Reuters witness said. Residents said they had heard two explosions and power to the city had been cut.

Late on Thursday, Sri Lankan authorities temporarily closed Colombo international airport and cut power to the city after reports suspicious airplanes were seen flying south along the coast.

Reuters TB GC0234