Latest bus bomb: 18 injured, mostly passersby

Eighteen civilians were injured in an explosion that wrecked a private passenger bus in Mount Lavinia town last morning but a bigger disaster was averted due to vigilance by the public, Police said. The driver and the conductor of the Colombo-bound bus from Moratuwa had evacuated the passengers as soon as they were alerted by a passenger of a suspicious travelling bag in the bus, thus preventing loss of many human lives.

It was around 10.50 a.m. when the bag was spotted and within a few minutes the passengers numbering about 20 had rushed out of the bus. There are two claims about who tipped off the conductor and driver about the bag. Police spokesman N.K. Illangakoon said they were awaiting a report from the Government Analyst to ascertain if the bomb was triggered by a remote control or a timing device. Additional Government Analyst (explosives) A. Welianga visited the scene of the blast last afternoon.

The explosion caused damage to buildings nearby shattering glass windows. The bus also caught fire. Many of those injured in the explosion were passers-by and they were rushed to the Kalubowila Hospital. The injured included seven women, ten men and an eight-month infant. Many of those in the vicinity were in shock due to the impact of the explosion. Three of the injured underwent surgery.

A hospital spokesman said no one was seriously injured due to the explosion. Mount Lavinia Senior Superintendent Hemantha Adikari said a search operation was launched in the Mount Lavinia and Moratuwa areas after the incident. Along with the search operations, Police have also intensified their awareness programmes to show bus and train commuters how to respond to a bomb threat.

Several persons were arrested on suspicion and were being questioned by the police last night. Meanwhile at Rajagiriya last night, the bomb squad was called in to check a suspicious parcel found in a state-run transport bus, police said. They said the parcel contained bananas and it was left behind by a passenger.