The deadliest bus bombing in Sri Lanka since January 2008, killing 26 civilians amid the government's offensive against the LTTE.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 25, 2008
- Deaths
- 26 people
- Injured
- At least 64 people
- Target
- Commuter bus in Piliyandala suburb of Colombo
- Suspected perpetrator
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The bombing occurred during an active government military offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in northern Sri Lanka. The LTTE had a history of targeting civilian infrastructure in and around Colombo as part of its armed campaign for a separate Tamil homeland.
On April 25, 2008, a bomb was detonated on a commuter bus in Piliyandala, a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The attack killed 26 people and injured at least 64 others, making it the deadliest bus bombing in the country since a January 16 attack on a civilian bus at Buttala.
The attack was identified as the first major strike against civilians since the April 6 Weliveriya bombing that killed Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis. It heightened concerns about civilian security in and around Colombo as the military conflict with the LTTE continued to escalate.