22 Killed in Sri Lankan Road Accident

Associated Press, Tue April 10, 2007 03:38 EDT . INDURUWA, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A passenger bus collided with a beer delivery truck and burst into flames Tuesday in southern Sri Lanka, killing at least 23 people and injuring 56, a police official said.The state-run bus was traveling from the southern city of Galle to the capital, Colombo, when it collided with the beer truck traveling in the opposite direction, local police chief Jayantha Gamage said. No foreign tourists were among the victims.``The collision started a fire and most of the bodies are charred beyond recognition,'' Gamage said.Twenty people died at the scene and three died later at a hospital. The dead included eight women and a 5-year-old child, Gamage said. Both drivers were killed.A total of 56 people were injured and were receiving treatment, Gamage said.A passenger on the bus blamed the truck driver for the accident.``The bus was moving slowly when the speeding truck crashed into the middle of the bus,'' said Sisira Ranasinghe, who suffered a shoulder injury. ``The bus driver attempted to prevent the accident ... but it was of no use.''Bodies retrieved from the burned-out wreckage were wrapped in plastic sheets along the roadside near Induruwa town, about 40 miles south of Colombo.

Military says Tamil Tiger mortars kill 1 soldier, wound 2 in Sri Lanka 's north

Associated Press, Tue April 10, 2007 04:17 EDT . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels fired mortars at a military post in northern Sri Lanka - on Tuesday, killing one soldier and wounding two others ahead of New Year celebrations, the Defense Ministry said. ``This transit point is used by many Tamils to cross over and celebrate their New Year with their relatives living in uncleared (rebel-held) areas,'' Samarasinghe said. Sri Lanka - 's 3.1 million Tamils celebrate the New Year on April 13, while the majority Sinhalese observe it a day after.The mortar firing forced the military to close the transit point, he said. ``This creates a bad impression among the Tamils, but then we have no option as the Tigers are targeting our posts,'' Samarasinghe said. It was not clear how long the transit point would remain closed.The rebels are fighting for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils, who mostly live in the north and the east. Rebel spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment.Violence between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels has increased dramatically in recent weeks as the government pushes to retake rebel-held territory.Over the last week, the government has bombed the rebels' naval headquarters in the north and clashed with the insurgents in the east and at sea, reportedly killing more than two dozen rebels.The Tigers have struck back with bombings and several sea attacks. Two bus bombings the military blames on the insurgents killed at least 23 people, but the rebels deny any involvement.Last month, the Tigers carried out their first-ever air raid, striking a government air force base.The conflict, which began in 1983, killed at least 65,000 people before a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire was signed in 2002.The truce temporarily halted the fighting, but more than 4,000 people have died since late 2005, when violence flared again. Neither side has officially abandoned the cease-fire.