18 injured in Sri Lanka train track blast

Colombo: At least 18 people were injured when a bomb targeting a passenger train exploded on Wednesday near Dehiwela, about 10 km south of here, a defence official said.

“An improvised explosive device placed on the railway track near Wasala road between Wellawatte and Dehiwela exploded after the Colombo-bound Panadura train had just passed that way at about 7.15 a.m,'' Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

“Civilians, including three women, were wounded in the blast and admitted to the Kalubhowila National Hospital. They have sustained minor injuries,'' he added.

Nanayakkara said the explosion had caused minor damage to the railway track, but railway authorities said it had not hindered the coastal train services.

This is the second blast targeting the railways within 10 days.

On May 26, eight civilians were killed and 73 more wounded when a powerful bomb ripped through a crowded train coach also in Dehiwela, located at the edge of the Sri Lankan capital.