A LTTE-attributed bombing of a commuter train in Dehiwala killed 9 and injured at least 67 during Sri Lanka's civil war.
Key Facts
- Date
- May 26, 2008
- Deaths
- 9 people
- Injured
- At least 67 people
- Target
- Colombo–Panadura commuter train
- Attributed to
- LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)
- Follow-up incident
- Second bombing on same rail line, June 4, 2008
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sri Lanka was in the midst of an intensifying civil conflict following the government's 2006 military offensive against the LTTE. A bomb blast on May 23, 2008, targeting a van in LTTE-controlled territory—which the LTTE attributed to the Sri Lankan military—may have prompted a retaliatory strike, according to some analysts.
On May 26, 2008, a bomb exploded aboard a commuter train traveling from Colombo to Panadura as it passed through Dehiwala, a suburb of Colombo. The blast killed 9 people and injured at least 67. The Sri Lankan military attributed responsibility for the attack to the LTTE.
The attack highlighted the ongoing threat of LTTE strikes against civilian infrastructure during the final phase of the civil war. A second bombing occurred on June 4, 2008, on the same rail line between Dehiwala and Wellawatte stations, injuring at least 24 more civilians. The broader conflict ultimately ended with the LTTE's military defeat in 2009.