At least 100 Tamil Tiger rebels and two Sri Lankan navy personnel were believed killed in a five-hour sea battle off the country's eastern coast yesterday. "We estimate at least 100 LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] died in the battle," a navy spokesman said. A defence ministry statement said seven rebel boats were sunk in a pitched battle that began late on Saturday after a fleet of naval vessels confronted three clusters of rebel boats carrying large numbers of LTTE guerrillas from Pulmoddai.
Naval officials earlier said a convoy of guerrilla boats had attacked a government fast attack craft, which was on patrol near Pulmoddai. Pulmoddai is just north of the eastern port city of Trincomalee.
The statement said the control systems of the craft were damaged after it was hit by guerrilla fire. It sank after it was rammed by two rebel suicide boats.
The crew of 14 had jumped overboard and five of them were rescued, the naval statement said.
Two navy personnel were killed in the battle that lasted well into the early hours of yesterday.
"Search and rescue operations continue to locate the missing seven naval personnel with the assistance of Sri Lanka Air Force, while the army is now manning the beach to assist possible survivors and capture the enemy," the statement said.
The sea battle came days after suspected LTTE rebels exploded a truck bomb in the capital, Colombo, killing 18 people and wounding more than 100.
Several buildings, including two hotels and the finance ministry, were badly damaged in the blast.
In a separate attack, one army officer and two soldiers were killed when LTTE rebels attacked a route-clearing patrol in the eastern district of Batticaloa, according to a defence ministry statement.
One soldier was also wounded in the attack which was repulsed, the statement added. The LTTE is fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east.