Claymore blast kills 3 SLA soldiers, civilian in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 January 2007, 10:37 GMT]
Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed when a civilian vehicle which the troopers at Varikkuddiyar SLA camp have comandeered to transport soldiers was hit by a claymore mine blast at Thaddankulam, about 15 km. west of Vavuniya, around 8:30 a.m., Saturday. A civilian was killed and another injured in the blast, sources said.

Three SLA troopers and the owner of the vehicle, Rasanayagam Sharmilan,32, were killed on the spot.

The driver of the vehicle, Aarumugam Vaseekaran,29 suffered minor injuries, accoring to the sources.

He was taken to Poovarasankulam hospital and later transfered to Vavuniya hospital, the sources said.

Sharmilan and his driver went to collect sand while they were stopped by the SLA soldiers at Varikkuddiyar SLA camp on the Poovarasankulam - Cheddikulam road. They were ordered to transport 5 soldiers, two of them in military fatigues, to Cheddikulam.

The vehicle was hit by the blast after it had passed the hamlet of Thaddankulam, the sources said.

Vavuniya police is conducting investigations.