A bomb tore through a packed bus carrying mostly elderly Buddhist pilgrims Saturday in central Sri Lanka, killing 18 people and wounding 51 others, Associated Press quoted the military as saying. The blast inside the bus occurred at 7 a.m. in Dambulla, a town about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, blaming separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. Bus driver Rohana Wijesiri said he was taking about 100 passengers, mainly elderly women. «When we were passing Dambulla there was a huge blast and the door near my seat got blown away,» Wijesiri said. The top and sides of the bus were ripped apart in the force of the blast. A severed hand could be seen among the blood-stained bags, glass and other debris strewn several meters from the vehicle.
