Mine accidentally explodes at S.Lanka show

Mine accidentally explodes at S.Lanka show

A land mine on display at an exhibition in Sri Lanka’s capital accidentally exploded on Tuesday, the military said, injuring at least 14 people — two of them seriously.

The exhibition at the BMICH convention center in central Colombo to mark the island’s 59th anniversary of independence from Britain included captured weaponry from Tamil Tiger rebels and armaments belonging to the military.

It was not clear why a live land mine was on show at all on the elite police commando Special Task Force’s stall.

“It was an accidental explosion,” said Lt. Col Upali Rajapakse of the Media Center for National Security. “An anti-personnel mine exploded and a few civilians were injured.”

Hospital officials said 14 people had been admitted but gave no details on the injuries. The injured included two police commandos, two Buddhist monks and 10 civilians.

Source: Reuters

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