At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in southern Sri Lanka, police say.
At least one minister is among more than 20 people injured in the blast near the town of Matara, 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Colombo.
Government officials were attending a function at a mosque to celebrate an Islamic holiday at the time.
The defence ministry said the blast was a suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels, but they have not confirmed this.
‘Ministers targeted’
“An LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] suicide bomber has attacked a mosque at Godapitiya, in Akurassa, in the Matara district,” the defence ministry said on its website.
Sri Lanka’s oil minister HM Fowzie, who was at the site, told Reuters news agency the bomber appeared to have targeted ministers as they walked in a procession toward the mosque.
They were attending a ceremony to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.
Post and Telecommunications Minister Mahinda Wijesekara was injured in the attack, but is now said to be out of danger.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east of the country for a quarter of a century.
In recent weeks, a major Sri Lankan army offensive has inflicted a series of defeats on the Tamil Tiger forces, pushing the rebels into a narrow area of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka.
It is estimated that between 70,000 and 200,000 civilians are caught up in the conflict.
Government officials say they are confident the entire north-east can be brought under control soon.
But the rebels have vowed to carry on their fight, and correspondents say the latest blast shows they have maintained their ability to launch attacks far from their traditional strongholds.
About 70,000 people have died in the conflict in the past 25 years.
At least one minister is among more than 20 people injured in the blast near the town of Matara, 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Colombo.
Government officials were attending a function at a mosque to celebrate an Islamic holiday at the time.
The defence ministry said the blast was a suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels, but they have not confirmed this.
‘Ministers targeted’
“An LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] suicide bomber has attacked a mosque at Godapitiya, in Akurassa, in the Matara district,” the defence ministry said on its website.
Sri Lanka’s oil minister HM Fowzie, who was at the site, told Reuters news agency the bomber appeared to have targeted ministers as they walked in a procession toward the mosque.
They were attending a ceremony to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.
Post and Telecommunications Minister Mahinda Wijesekara was injured in the attack, but is now said to be out of danger.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east of the country for a quarter of a century.
In recent weeks, a major Sri Lankan army offensive has inflicted a series of defeats on the Tamil Tiger forces, pushing the rebels into a narrow area of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka.
It is estimated that between 70,000 and 200,000 civilians are caught up in the conflict.
Government officials say they are confident the entire north-east can be brought under control soon.
But the rebels have vowed to carry on their fight, and correspondents say the latest blast shows they have maintained their ability to launch attacks far from their traditional strongholds.
About 70,000 people have died in the conflict in the past 25 years.
