Sri Lanka: 15 killed, two ministers injured in suicide attack

At least 15 people were killed on Tuesday and another 20, including two government ministers, were wounded in a suicide bomb attack in southern Sri Lanka, a local police official said.

Postal Services Minister Mahinda Wijesekera and Culture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena were wounded, the official said. He said Wijesekera was in intensive care at a local hospital.

The attack occurred as several politicians were attending a function in the town of Akuressa, 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of the capital Colombo, police said.

Suicide attacks are a trademark tactic of the Tamil Tigers, who have seen their northern fiefdom shrink rapidly over the past year due to a major government offensive.

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