At least seven people were killed and 62 others injured when a train was bombed by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Monday afternoon, defense officials said.
The explosion occurred at around 4:55 p.m. (1125 GMT) inside the Colombo-Panadura passenger train while it reached the Dehiwalarailway station in Colombo, officials said.
The train was in full complement at the time of the blast and a pregnant woman was among the killed.
The explosion came after two bombs were defused on Saturday by the authorities near Colombo.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) claimed 16 civilians were killed on Friday by the Army's Deep Penetration Unit in the rebel-controlled area, but the government has denied any involvement in the incident.
Analysts said the attack on the passenger train might have been retaliation by the LTTE for Friday's incident.
On May 16, a bus carrying police officers were attacked by a suicide bomber from the LTTE in Colombo, resulting in the death of13 people with more than 80 injured.
Government troops are currently battling the LTTE in the north with the aim of crushing the rebel group before the end of 2008.
The rebel group has been expelled by the troops from the Eastern Province and a provincial election was held on May 10 to restore peace and order in the former rebel-held province.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese government, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish an independent homeland for Tamil minorities, resulting in the death of more than 70,000 people in the island.
Source: Xinhua
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