TAMIL Tiger separatists suffered a big setback when an accidental explosion killed more than 180 civilians and at least 50 guerillas, according to reports from the rebel-controlled Jaffna peninsula.
Military intelligence said an explosives-laden lorry accidentally blew up at a base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Thavady, Kokuvil, three kilometres from the rebel stronghold of Jaffna town. This set off another blast at a nearby munitions factory.
Reports yesterday indicated that the vehicle had been about to take off on a suicide mission when it exploded on Monday.
The blast was so powerful that it damaged buildings and other property over a wide area, reports said. The force of the explosion was compounded by the blast at the arms factory. The dead included women and children.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the incident, but said few details were available.
'We have received reports of a huge explosion at a base at Kokuvil,' Marco Altherr, a Red Cross official, said yesterday. 'We do not know the exact death toll, but have been informed that the explosion caused many deaths.
'All we know at present is that 17 civilians who were injured in the blast have been admitted to the Jaffna General Hospital.' Government troops are continuing a big military thrust, codenamed Operation Leap Forward, and are now consolidating their positions at Araly Point, six kilometres from Jaffna town.
