Colombo - Tamil Tiger rebels blew up a civilian bus in eastern Sri Lanka yesterday killing four passengers, as the death toll rose to 43 in heavy fighting elsewhere, defence officials said.
The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas set off a powerful Claymore-type bomb besides the bus in the district of Batticaloa, military spokesman, Mr Sanath Karunaratne said. He placed the death toll at three while local officials said four people had died in the blast.