4TH LEAD

SLN vessel sunk, 7 killed in Mannar seas - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 April 2007, 07:09 GMT]
Seven Sri Lanka Navy personnel were killed and a SLN gunboat was sunk after a naval clash when three Sri Lankan gunboats blocked a Sea Tiger patrol in Mannar waters at 11:15 a.m. Friday, Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy in Colombo claimed to have sunk a LTTE boat and said one of the SLN Inshore Patrol Crafts was slightly damaged and a sailor had sustained small injuries.

"Our Patrol Unit Commander reported seven enemy casualties after the encounter which lasted for 15 minutes," Mr. Ilanthirayan said.

The clash took place inside LTTE's territorial waters, according to the Tiger military spokesman.

Sri Lanka Navy claimed that the clash had taken place 5 nautical miles off Bathlangunduwa.

There were no casualties on LTTE side, he further said.

Eight wounded SLN sailors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Air Force and the SLN and airlifted to Colombo, SLN sources said.