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Dozens injured in blast in Sri Lanka's capital

30/08/2008

At least 43 people have suffered injuries in an explosion in Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo.

In recent months, the country's military ended a ceasefire with the rebel Tamil Tigers and launched a large scale offensive against them in the north of the country. No group has claimed responsiblity for the blast as yet.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said: "There had been an explosion. It was a bomb placed close to an apple vendor in Pettah."

Three of the wounded are said to be in a serious condition, no deaths have been announced so far.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an independent state for ethnic Tamils in the country's north and eastern regions since 1983.

Over 70,000 people have died in violence between the government and the rebel movement.