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7 killed in LTTE attack on supply ship

Seven sailors were feared killed in an attack on a Sri Lankan merchant ship by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide squad at sea, off Point Pedro, near Jaffna early today.

The ship, M V Merces Uhana, carrying food for Jaffna peninsula with 28 people on board, caught fire after the attack, but 21 crew members were rescued.

Today's attack comes after a three-week lull in fighting in the northern peninsula.

A defence spokesman said that the ship was carrying food and other essential items from Colombo to Jaffna for civilians.

The ship immediately caught fire as the suicide cadres rammed into it in a boat laden with explosives.

The Tigers possibly thought the ship was carrying arms and ammunition for troops in Jaffna. The ship was completely destroyed.

UNI

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