Eight people including a soldier were killed and 25 people were injured when the LTTE triggered a claymore mine targeting a public transport bus at Piramanalankulam on 8th of April.

According to the defence sources, the explosion took place around 7.30a.m when the bus belonging to SL transport board was plying towards Vavuniya from Mannar on the Vavuniya- Mannar main road. Army medical teams rushed to the scene and took immediate measures to transfer casualties to the hospitals. Five people died on the spot and the other two died on admission to the Vavuniya General hospital

Meanwhile, the MCNS says that the Government is in the belief that the LTTE is deliberately targeting civilians to mount pressure on the Government to stop the humanitarian missions launched to free the civilian population from terror clutches. The LTTE has always resorted to cowardly terror attacks against civilians in the face of continuous defeats suffered at the hands of the Security Forces, the MCNS further said in its statement.