Sri Lanka: Accidental blast kills more than 20 including 2 Chinese

Sri Lanka: Accidental blast kills more than 20

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An accidental blast triggered by industrial dynamite intended for use in road construction killed more than 20 people Friday in eastern Sri Lanka, including two Chinese nationals, a government spokesman said.

The blast took place in the Batticaloa district, a former conflict area where the government has initiated a major construction drive following the end of the war with the Tamil Tiger rebels last year, said Lakshman Hulugalla, a military spokesman.

The blast occurred outside the police station in Karadiyanaru, a small town in the east, where two containers containing dynamite were parked, officials said.

At least 20 people were killed, including two construction workers from China, and the station suffered significant damage, said police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody. He feared several police officers were among the dead.

The explosives were to be used in a road construction project being carried out by a Chinese firm, Hulugalla said.

Hulugalla ruled out any possibility of sabotage: “It is an accidental explosion.”

The area was once controlled by the now defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, who carried out hundreds of bombings against government targets and civilians.

The government has launched reconstruction projects to build roads, reservoirs and other infrastructure in the region.