At least 60 killed in accidental blast in Sri Lanka

[chobolan]

At least 60 killed in accidental blast in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO | Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:00am EDT

COLOMBO (Reuters) - An accidental explosion of a truck carrying explosives killed at least 60 people on Friday in a police station near the eastern Sri Lankan city of Batticaloa, the military said. "Sixty people inside the police station have been killed. Most of them are policemen," military spokesman Major-General Ubaya Medawela said.

The truck was parked next to the police station in Karadiyanaru, near the eastern port of Batticaloa, when it exploded, Medawela said. The explosives were to be delivered to a rock quarry, he said. Earlier, a spokesman for the state-run Media Center for National Security had said two foreign citizens were among the dead.

He gave no details on their nationality but local media reported they were Chinese. Sri Lanka, which ended a three-decade civil war last year, had suffered from years of suicide bombings carried out by Tamil Tiger separatists. This explosion was accidental, Medawela said.

(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

 

[chobolan]

2 Chinese nationals killed in Sri Lanka blast


2 Chinese nationals killed in Sri Lanka blast

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-17 17:10

COLOMBO - A blast rocked the Karadiyanaru police station in the eastern district of Batticaloa in Sri Lanka killing over 60 people including two Chinese nationals, military officials said. "The Chinese company indulged in development work in the area had safe kept explosives at the police station. A container carrying the explosives exploded and triggered the explosion of the next two containers," Maj Gen Ubhaya Madawela, the military spokesman said. The explosion took place at around 11:45 am local time (0615 GMT). Most of the dead are policemen, police added.