Colombo, Oct 6 (IANS) At least 22 people, including two key members of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), were killed and over 50 wounded Monday when a suspected LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up in Sri Lanka's north-central town of Anuradhapura, the military said here.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that the suicide bombing occurred around 8.45 a.m. Monday at a UNP function near the old bus stand in Anuradhapura town, over 200 km north of here. A retired Major General of the army were among those killed on the spot.
'Twenty-two people including retired Maj.Gen. Janaka Perera, his wife and UNP organiser for Anuradhapura, John Pulle and his wife were killed and 59 more wounded in the LTTE suicide explosion,' Brig. Nanayakkara told IANS.
The wounded, some of them in serious condition, were admitted to the nearby Anuradhapura base hospital.
Retired Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera had contested in the provincial council poll held last month for the north-central province and became the opposition leader of the council.
A UNP parliamentarian in Colombo said that the bomb explosion took place at a party function to declare open a new party office in the heavily-guarded Anuradhapura town.
There was no immediate reaction from the rebels in this regard.
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