Trincomlee A bomb blast in northern Sri Lanka killed four civilians and one navy officer Monday, police and witnesses said, adding to concerns that the island nation could fall back into civil war.
The bomb apparently was aimed at a naval foot patrol when it exploded, said police officer Nihal Samarakoon, who confirmed the deaths. He said three navy officers also were wounded.
There was a pool of blood on the road, as residents and police tried to help those wounded by the blast. A police officer, who identified himself as Senanayake and said he was the area's chief police inspector, blamed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack.
Kamalachandran, a resident, who was inside his home said he heard the sound of the explosion and came out to see his daughter in a pool of blood.
She was spreading washed clothes on a string to dry, when splinters from the explosion hit her. She bled profusely as she was taken to a hospital.
''The people who did it are not humans, there are small children and ladies around. They are no better than animals,'' said Kamalachandran, who like many Tamils, use only one name.
Kamalachandran, who held his granddaughter as he spoke, said he was not sure if his daughter was dead or alive.
At the blast sight, ladies' handbags and the belongings of families returning from morning market were strewn across the street. Blood could be seen several meters away from where the bomb exploded.
Separately, fighting between Tamil rebels and the army in an area about 100 kilometers north of Trincomalee eased Monday, said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe.
The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam launched shells on two army positions for about three hours from the sea and land late Sunday, drawing retaliatory fire from troops.
Samarasinghe said the military suffered no casualties, and it was not immediately known if the rebels were killed.
Meanwhile, the government canceled all May Day rallies in Colombo because of fears it could trigger violence, said police spokesman Rienzie Perera.
Traditionally, almost all political parties hold May Day rallies on May 1, followed by respective huge party meetings.
The flare-up in violence has added urgency to efforts by European cease-fire monitors to get the government and rebels to resume peace talks.
Near-daily violence over the past week, including a suicide attack by a suspected rebel targeting SriLanka's top military general last week, could push relations between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to the point of collapse.
Relations between the government and the LTTE have sharply deteriorated after a suspected rebel suicide bomber attacked the country's top military general in Colombo on Tuesday. The general was seriously injured and 11 people were killed.
The government ordered retaliatory air strikes that killed 12 people and displaced thousands in the northeast.
The recent violence between the Tigers and the government has raised fears of a return to civil war in the South Asian nation, where a two-decade civil war was halted by a 2002 cease-fire.
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