SRI LANKA: TAMIL REBELS BLOW UP OIL DEPOTS AND FIRE ON SECURITY FORCES, KILLING AT LEAST 20

Record ID: 344769

  • Title: SRI LANKA: TAMIL REBELS BLOW UP OIL DEPOTS AND FIRE ON SECURITY FORCES, KILLING AT LEAST 20
  • Date: 20th October 1995
  • Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (OCTOBER 20, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV PALLS OF SMOKE LYING OVER THE CITY 0.07 2. LV FIRES RAGING IN CITY 0.14 3. LV HUGE FLAMES AND SMOKE BILLOWING OVER TREES 0.40 4. LV BODY LYING UNDER CAR WRECKED BY BLAST 0.46 5. SV SOLDIER STANDING OVER TWO BODIES ON GROUND 0.51 6. SV SIGN OF CEYLON PETROLEUM CORPORATION WHERE OIL FIRES ARE BURNING 0.55 7. SV SOLDIERS STANDING IN STREET 0.59 8. SV CAR DAMAGED BY BLAST 1.02 9. SV BODY LYING IN WRECKED JEEP 1.09 10.SV SOLDIERS STANDING NEXT TO BOMB SQUAD VEHICLE / PAN TO DEAD SOLDIER LYING ON GROUND 1.16 11.LV POLICE AND WITNESSES TALKING NEXT TO BODY 1.23 12.SLV BODY ON GROUND 1.27 13.GV POLICE, SOLDIERS AND VEHICLES IN STREET 1.32 14 PAN FROM LV BODY TO SMOKE IN SKY 1.44 15.LV POLICE MOVING BODIES ONTO STRETCHERS FROM GROUND 1.50 16.GV RAGING FIRES AROUND GAS AND OIL REFINERIES / SMOKE 2.02 17.LV FIRE ENGINE ON GAS REFINERY SITE 2.04 18.LV REFINERY 2.08 19.SV/LV RAGING FIRES (3 SHOTS) 2.31 20.SV/GV PEOPLE WATCHING FROM RAILWAY LINES (2 SHOTS) 2.43 21.LV POLICE HELICOPTER IN AIR 2.50 22.SLV GETAWAY TRUCK SEIZED BY POLICE FULL OF WEAPONS 2.56 23.SLV SOLDIERS UNLOADING BOXES (2 SHOTS) 3.07 24.SV COLOMBO POLICE CHIEF G.B. KOTAKADENIYA BEING HANDED PART OF A ROCKET LAUNCHER 3.18 25.GV/ZOOM IN RAGING FIRE CAUSING PLUMES OF SMOKE TO SPIRAL OVER CITY 3.30 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 4th November 1995 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
  • City:
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Reuters ID: LVA3CC8BDZWXA4DE0S7SQ2098WM7
  • Story Text: Suspected Tamil rebels, including Black Tiger suicide bombers, blew up two oil depots in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Friday (October 20) and fired on security forces, killing at least 20, the military and witnesses said.

    At least 25 people, including the Colombo correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), were wounded in the shooting between suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels around one of the compounds and security forces, witnesses said.

    Fireballs were rocketing into the air and two huge plumes of black smoke trailed over the city hours after the blasts, first at Kolonnawa oil reserve and then at the nearby Orugodawatta oil and gas installation, witnesses said.

    Both depots are about three kilometres (two miles) from the city centre. Nearby residents fled for their lives.

    Reuters photographer Anurrudha Lokuhapuarachchi saw the bodies of seven air force personnel, one policeman and two civilians at the main gate of the Kolonnawa oil storage depot and body parts of a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.

    Military headquarters said eight soldiers, 10 air force personnel and two Special Task Force police commandos were killed.

    Colombo police chief G.B. Kotakadeniya said about 20 suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were involved in the two attacks.

    Some staged an ambush at the main gates, killing the servicemen, while others infiltrated the plant, witnesses and police sources said.

    The attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades. The wounded included soldiers and civilians.

    Colombo BBC correspondent George Arney was caught in the crossfire and wounded in the face and neck and taken to hospital.

    A suspected Tamil Tiger was found dead at nearby Dematagoda, Kotakadeniya said. The man was wearing a suicide attacker's vest rigged with explosives.

    He was also carrying 19 ID tags of fellow rebels and a T56 rifle, he said.

    Police found a getaway lorry carrying a rocket launcher, ammunition, bomb-packed suicide vests, wirecutters, medicines, food and milk powder stuffed in a false bottom, the police chief said.

    The driver was taken into custody.


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