15 dead, ministers injured in Sri Lanka suicide blast

Colombo, March 10: At least 15 people were killed and 20 others injured when a suicide blast took place near a ceremony in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said the rebel suicide attacker struck early this morning, during a national festival to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

The blast happened near a mosque in the town of Akuressa, in Matara district, about 160 km south of the capital Colombo.

A police spokesman said the blast killed 15 people and wounded two government ministers, including Post and Telecommunications Minister Mahinda Wijesekera and Culture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. He said Wijesekera was in intensive care at a local hospital.

The explosion occurred in the Matara district, the defense ministry said on its Web site. The blast targeted Muslims attending Milad-un-Nabi celebrations, which observe the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

Mahinda Wijesekara, the minister of posts and telecommunications, was among those injured, the Web site said, citing hospital sources.Authorities blamed the Tamil Tigers rebel group for the blast.

A cabinet minister is among more than 20 people injured in the blast near the town of Matara, 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Colombo.

The Sri Lankan defence ministry said the explosion was a suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Local residents said several government ministers were attending a function at the mosque at the time of the blast.