Madhu school bus bombing

Infobox civilian attack
title = Madhu school bus bombing


caption =
location = Madhu, Mannar, Sri Lanka
coordinates =
date = January 29, 2008
time = 14:30cite news |author= B. Muralidhar Reddy | url= http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/30/stories/2008013050230100.htm| title = 11 schoolchildren killed in Sri Lanka| work = |publisher =|date = | accessdate = 2008-05-09]
timezone = UTC+5:30
type = Remote bombing
fatalities = 17
injuries = 14
perp =
susperp = Sri Lankan Army
weapons = Claymore Mine
Preparators= Sri Lankan Army

Madhu School bus bombing is the bombing of a school bus carried out on January 29, 2008 in Mannar, Northern province of Sri Lanka. The bombing killed 17, including eleven school children and injured at least 14 more people.The LTTE accused the Sri Lankan Army for the attack but the Army denied the allegations. This attack was the second attack on a civilian bus in the month of January in Sri Lanka [cite news | url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20080217/parliament.htm | title= Civilians pay dearly| work =|publisher = |date =]

Background

On January 2, the government of Sri Lanka officially pulled out of the cease fire signed on 2002. On January 16, 23 people were killed in a bus bombing at Okkampitya, a town in southern Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan police blamed the LTTE for this attack. [cite news | url= http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/1/23675.html| title = Sri Lanka bus bomb kills 23| work = |publisher = lankanewspaper|date = | accessdate = 2008-05-09]

Incident

On 29 January 2008 a bus carrying civilians was hit by a claymore mine that resulted in the death of 17 civilians including eleven school children and injuring 14 more people. This incident took place in the town of Mannar about 1km from the Madhu Church. cite news |author= B. Muralidhar Reddy | url= http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/30/stories/2008013050230100.htm| title = 11 schoolchildren killed in Sri Lanka| work = |publisher = |date = | accessdate = 2008-05-09] [cite news | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2008/01/080129_mannar_school.shtml| title = 'School children killed' in Mannar| work = BBCSinhala |publisher = BBC|date = | accessdate = 2008-05-09] . According to the LTTE the civilian bus was hit by a claymore that was triggered by Sri Lankan Army’s deep penetration unit. It further claimed that the victims were students and teachers returning from a sporting event. . The Sri Lankan Army denied any responsibility and claimed that there was no military unit operating in the area at that time. [cite news | url= http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4740&Item| title = 'Army not invovled in attack on school bus in Madhu| work = |publisher = |date = | accessdate = 2008-05-09] .

ee also

* Sri Lankan Civil War
* Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu
* Madhu church bombing
* 2008 Sri Lanka bus bombings
* 2008 Fort Railway Station Bombing

References