Police suspects sabotage in train derailment

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 August 1998, 18:54 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police in Sri Lanka's southwestern district of Kurunagala said today that they suspected sabotage in the train derailment and collision this morning.

Thirty-three people were injured and five were killed in the accident early this morning around 5.30 a.m.

A train from Colombo to Mirigama in the southwestern district of the island rammed into a train from Kurunagala that had been derailed due to tracks that had come off the sleepers.

They speculated that the derailment of the train could have been the work of saboteurs who were intent on disrupting the party rally in Kurunagal today.

The Sri Lankan Police in the area, however, scoffed at the UNP's charge.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's main opposition party the UNP complained to the Kurunagala Police this morning that two of their party members were injured in the early hours of the morning around 1.30 a.m. in the village of Pannala when a group of armed persons had thrown grenades on party workers. The workers were putting up the stage for a public meeting of the UNP today when the grenades were thrown.

A lorry that was parked in the area to help them put up party colours was also damaged in the grenade attack, said UNP sources.