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Sri Lankan minister dies in blast | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A Sri Lankan minister, DM Dassanayake, has died in hospital after his convoy was hit by a powerful roadside blast near the capital, doctors said. | |
The minister for nation-building was in a convoy between Colombo and the international airport when the bomb went off. Seven others were wounded. | |
The blast, in Ja-Ela town, 12 miles (19kms) north of Colombo, has been blamed on the Tamil Tiger rebels. | |
In recent months, fighting between troops and rebels has worsened. | |
A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in 2002 broke down two years ago, resulting in renewed fighting that has killed more than 5,000 people. | A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in 2002 broke down two years ago, resulting in renewed fighting that has killed more than 5,000 people. |
At least 70,000 people have died since the conflict began in 1983. | At least 70,000 people have died since the conflict began in 1983. |