At least seven people were killed and nearly 100 wounded on Sunday in two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam bombings, including a suicide attack in the Sri Lankan capital, as the strife-torn nation reeling under escalated violence since the government dumped the tattered ceasefire prepared to mark its 60th Independence Day.
"A woman suicide bomber blew herself up inside the Colombo Fort railway station in the heart of the city targeting innocent civilians at around 2 pm," military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said.
At least seven persons have been killed and over 90 injured in the attack. The wounded have been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, he said.
The attack came just hours after a grenade explosion inside the Dehiwala Zoo near Colombo left seven people including two children injured.
"A flash of light was followed by a shock wave and that's all I could recollect," a witness said. Following the incident, Dehiwala Zoo was temporarily closed for public.
The bombings came a day after the LTTE detonated a parcel bomb in a bus packed with Buddhist pilgrims, killing 18 people and wounding 80 at Dambulla.
A string of attacks by suspected LTTE rebels, who are facing a rising military onslaught in the north after the government pulled out of a ceasefire on January 16, has rattled the country, which had already stepped up security ahead of independence day celebrations on Monday.
However, the LTTE has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.
A military parade and a colourful pageantry to be held on Monday at Galle Face Green in Colombo amid tight security will be the highlight of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence.