Aug 30, Colombo: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels exploded a parcel bomb at a busy junction, a short distance away from the main bus terminal in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo this afternoon injuring 48 people.

Security sources said 48 people including two children and seven women have been admitted to the National hospital in Colombo after the bomb explosion at the Bo-Tree Junction of Olcott Mawatha in Pettah this afternoon.

Defense officials said the bomb inside the parcel was left near a wristwatch vendor. The government has tightened the security in the area following the blast that is blamed on LTTE Tigers.

The Director of the National hospital Colombo, Dr Hector Weerasingha said few of the victims have suffered severe injuries and were already taken for immediate surgeries. No deaths have been reported due to the blast.

Earlier, security forces have uncovered accessories of suicide jackets from a Catholic Church premises in Olcott Mawatha in Pettah on 22 August. Detonators, switches and few other items had been concealed inside the St. Phillip Nerish Church premises, defence sources said.

The bomb blast comes days after the tiny LTTE air wing dropped two improvised bombs into the Trincomalee naval base injuring 10 sailors. The attack failed to cause any severe damage to the Navy camp.

Military officials say the Tigers are getting desperate as they are losing grounds along the frontlines to the Sri Lankan troops advancing in the North. The government has vowed to crush the terror outfit by the end of the year.