Bomb kills 18 on bus in central Sri Lanka

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A bomb exploded on a civilian bus in the central Sri Lankan town of Dambulla on Saturday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 50, the military said.

The explosion was the latest in a series of bomb attacks blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelan (LTTE), the rebel group fighting to create an independent state in the island's north and east.

"There were 18 people killed and not 20 as earlier," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. He said 50 others were injured in the blast, but hospital authorities counted dozens more.

"The explosion is a work of the LTTE."

The military said the victims were travelling north from the central town of Kandy to Anuradhapura to attend a religious ceremony.

Hospital authorities said many of those hurt had had serious head injuries or suffered burns.

"We have got about 93 injured," said Dr. Sudarshana Arambegedera, director of Dambulla Hospital, adding 16 of the fatalities were women.

Dambulla is around 150 km north of the capital Colombo.