Ten Sailors Missing After Sinking Vessel In Sri Lanka

At least ten crew members from a Sri Lankan patrol boat are missing after their vessel exploded and sank off the country's northeast coast early on Saturday.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they sank the navy fast attack craft (FAC) by using three suicide bombers who also perished, but the Sri Lankan navy said the vessel was destroyed in a sea mine blast.

Two navy fast attack craft, about 25 meters (82 feet) long and armed with heavy and light machine guns, were on a routine patrol when one was caught up in an explosion and sank, BBC reported.

The incident took place near Nayaru, 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Colombo.

Six crew members of the vessel including the officer-in charge have been rescued and search operation is underway for other survivors, the Navy said.

The LTTE said it attacked and sunk the FAC between Mullaithivu and Nayaru. "Three Black Sea Tigers were killed in action," the pro-rebel website Tamilnet quoted LTTE sources in Wanni as saying.

Source: AHN