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16 School Children, several pregnant women, one Buddhist priest and many civilians killed; Death toll is 64.

Kebithigollewa Massacre on 15 June 2006

The LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists have carried out a claymore mine attack at a bus carrying at least 100 civilians at Kongollawa in Anuradhapura around 7.30a.m on Thursday, 15 June 2006. Fifteen (15) school children proceeding to schools and a few pregnant women going for pre-natal care clinics were in the ill-fated state owned bus that was ripped in the LTTE claymore mine attack.

At least 64 civilians were killed and more than 70 wounded in a claymore mine attack carried out by suspected Tamil rebels Thursday on a passenger bus in north-central Sri Lanka, prompting the government to fly air strikes on rebel targets. Two mines were triggered off simultaneously as the overcrowded bus carrying mostly Singhalese civilians was passing the Thalgaswewa area, 200 kilometres north-east of the capital on Thursday morning.

Death Toll in Tamil Tiger Bus Massacre Rises to 63 - FIFTEEN CHILDREN proceeding to schools and a few pregnant women going for pre-natal care clinics were in the ill-fated state owned bus that was ripped in the LTTE claymore mine attack on Thursday (15) morning at Kebithigollewa, Anuradhapura. The scene of the massacre with parts of human flesh strewn apart was littered with school books, school bags, school uniforms splashed with blood, heaps of rubber shoes and slippers and other paraphernalia. Pieces of yellow robes confirmed that there had been at least one monk in the bus when terrorists detonated two claymore mines targeting the passenger bus. Emotional outbursts and cries of wailing men and women resonated as more and more grief- stricken relatives as well as villagers from the area began showing up at the scene. Moving scenes at the ghastly sight of the tragedy took a dramatic turn when many of them began to identify their beloved ones at the Kebithigollewa rural hospital where 58 bodies were initially placed for identification. The bus with 150 passengers in its full complement its doom when Tamil Tigers (LTTE) terrorists blew it up using two claymore mines in the rush hour. The death toll as at 1500hrs (local time) stood at 63 including 15 school children and a few pregnant women. At the time this report was filed, a total of 87 wounded in the powerful explosion have been admitted to Kebithigollewa and Anuradhapura base hospitals. Eight of them were later transferred to Colombo National Hospital for immediate surgery as their condition turned worse. Special Police teams and troops dispatched to the location were in the process of clearing the area after mounting a massive cordon and search operation in the affected area. The Police were also busy preparing arrangements to conduct post-mortems into the deaths of 63 civilians who were feared killed in the gruesome LTTE blast that shook the peace loving Sri Lankans, both here and abroad. This inhuman and “senseless” massacre, as LTTE media pundits themselves claimed miserably after pointing the finger at Sri Lankan Security Forces, serves as strong evidence to the effect that LTTE terrorists are hysterically more interested in blood shed but not in the so- called “Peace talks” . It is further distinctly clear that the LTTE within a matter of few hours after their return from Oslo and Geneva, has gone to the extent of committing a heinous and barbaric slaying of this magnitude in a remote area like Kebithigollewa where mostly peasants engaged in cultivations make their living. The security forces at this critical hour of our history appeals to the public to show restraint and remain calm giving maximum possible assistance to the law enforcement authorities (Full report in Sri Lanka Army).

Explosion on Bus in Sri Lanka Kills 62 - A powerful land mine ripped through a bus packed with commuters and schoolchildren in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday, killing at least 62 people, the army said. Sri Lanka's air force responded by bombing rebel-held areas in the northeast. The army blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels for the bus explosion, but the rebels denied responsibility. The explosion _ described as "huge" by military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe _ was the worst single act of violence since the government and Tamil Tiger rebels signed a cease-fire in 2002, and renewed fears of a return to war. The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site said two jets bombed areas in the north of the country after the explosion, but it provided no other details. Samarasinghe confirmed the bombings, saying the air force was taking deterrent action, but it will be limited. A doctor at the hospital where the bodies from the explosion were taken, S.B. Bothota, said 15 schoolchildren were among the 62 killed. Another 78 people were wounded by the blast, which also hit bystanders in a crowded part of Kabithigollewa, a town in the northern Anuradhapura district. Samarasinghe blamed the Tigers, saying their "motive is to create terror." The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fought for 20 years to carve out a separate homeland in Sri Lanka's north and east for the country's 3.2 million minority Tamils, who are largely Hindu. The majority of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese, most of whom are Buddhists. The cease-fire four years ago ended large-scale fighting, but violence has persisted, intensifying in the past several months and killing civilians. Kabithigollewa is near the northeastern districts of Vavuniya and Trincomalee, flashpoints for violence in recent months between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military (Full report in Independent).

Over 60 dead in Sri Lanka bus bombing - More than 60 people, including 15 children, were killed on Thursday morning in a landmine attack on a commuter bus in Sri Lanka - an action the government blamed on the Tamil Tiger rebel group. Sri Lankan air force fighter jets pounded territory controlled by rebels in the north and east of the country in retaliation for the bombing, which was apparently aimed at the the majority Sinhalese community. But as fears mounted of a return to full-scale civil war in the ethnically divided island state, a military spokesperson emphasised that the air-strikes were only "a deterrent measure meant to neutralise Tamil terrorist strongholds". "This is not a breakout of war," the spokesperson, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, said in a telephone interview. "This is only a limited action." At least 63 people were killed in the bus bombing. 42 people were injured, some of whom were flown to hospitals in the capital Colombo for treatment. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a 20-kg Claymore mine. It ripped through the commuter bus ferrying school children and workers from the countryside into Kabithigollewa town about 200 km north of Colombo. It was the worst attack against civilians since the February 2002 ceasefire between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "It was a regular state transport bus and all the passengers killed were Sinhalese," Brigadier Samarasinghe said. "We have no doubt that the attack is the handiwork of the LTTE." The LTTE denied it was responsible for planting the mine. Following the bombing Israeli-made Kfir jets were sent to bomb Mutur near the eastern port city of Trincomalee and Mulattivvu further north, where the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is believed to be situated (Full report in the Guardian UK).

LTTE Claymore Mine Attack On Civilian Bus Kills over 50 - ANURADHAPURA: A BUS TRAVELING FROM KANUGAHAWEWA to KEBITHIGOLLEWA belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board with about 100 passengers mainly from the YAKAWELA area was trapped in an LTTE claymore mine explosion at VIHARAHALMILLEWA, KONGOLLEWA at about 7.45 a.m. this morning (15) killing 58 passengers and injuring over 45. The powerful explosion had thrown the bus off the road to a distance of about 20 meters. It is feared that some passengers may be still trapped under the bus. A total of 25 bodies have been sent to the KEBTHIGOLLEWA hospital. The passengers included school children, men and women of all ages on their way to town. Rescue operations are underway (Full report in Sri Lanka Army).

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