Bomb damages inter-city train

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2000, 18:35 GMT]
The engine compartment of a Colombo-Vavuniya Inter-city train was damaged when a bomb placed inside exploded at 10.30 pm today, said sources in Vavuniya.

The blast occurred three minutes after the two connected trains, the Vavuniya-Colombo Inter-city train and Vavuniya-Matara Express train (Rajarata-Rajani), left Vavuniya Railway Station on their way to the Anuradhapura Railway yard for night parking.

H.N.B.Bandara (39), Sivanathan (49), D.M.R.Ramanayake (36), and D.N.Gamini Wickramanayake were wounded in the blast and were admitted to Vavuniya for treatment, said hospital sources.

A team of Police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were rushed to the scene.

Three similar blasts have occurred within a distance of 5 km to the south of Vavuniya station in the past few months, leading the Police to suspect that elements supporting the Vavuniya-Colombo Intercity Bus service, which is in direct competition with the train service for passenger traffic, may be behind the explosions.