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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Sri Lankan minister dies in blast | Sri Lankan minister dies in blast |
| (30 minutes 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. | 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 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. | 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. | In recent months, fighting between troops and rebels has worsened. |
| "He died a short while ago," news agency Reuters quoted Lalini Gurusinghe as saying. Mr Guruginhe is deputy director of the hospital in the town of Ragama, where the minister and other injured were admitted. | |
| According to reports, the minister suffered severe head injuries in the attack and died while undergoing surgery. | |
| Initial reports said Mr Dassanayake had not been seriously injured. | |
| Shattered windows | |
| Police said a Claymore mine - a landmine frequently used by Tamil Tiger rebels - was used in the attack. | |
| Local television channels broadcast footage of damage suffered by the minister's car. | |
| The images showed shattered windows and the car's sides peppered with shrapnel. | |
| There has been heavy fighting in the north of the country in recent days after the government announced it was pulling out of a ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers. | |
| According to the military, 20 Tiger fighters were killed in clashes on Monday on the front line. | |
| Several soldiers were also wounded. | |
| Sri Lanka's government has given formal notice it will pull out of the 2002 ceasefire agreement with the Tigers on 16 January. | |
| It now aims to defeat them on the battlefield. | |
| The Norwegian-brokered ceasefire 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. |