Dvora destroyed in harbour

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 January 1999, 08:06 GMT]
A Dvora gun boat belonging to the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) was destroyed in an explosion at the naval base in Thalaimannar in the north-western coast of the island, last night said navy sources.

However unconfirmed reports said that naval boat was destroyed by the Liberation Tigers (LTTE).

They said that heavy fighting went on for nearly two hours between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan Navy.

SLN sources, however, denied the boat was destroyed by the Tigers.

They said that a gun on the Dvora exploded and destroyed the boat. No casualties were reported in the incident they added.

The incident could not be independently confirmed.

Thalaimannar is on the north western coast of Sri Lanka and a ferry service ran for many years from this point to Rameswaram in South India.

The ferry service came to a standstill about ten years ago due to an intensification of the conflict on the island.