Scores Killed in Sri Lankan Blast

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: A truck packed with explosives drove into Sri Lanka's central bank today, killing at least 53 people and wounding 1,400. Sri Lankan authorities are blaming Tamil Tiger rebels for the explosion, which caused the bank and several other buildings to burst into flames. The fires blazed for most of the day, making rescue attempts difficult. If it was a rebel attack, it was one of the worst in their 12-year campaign for an independent homeland. Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in the fighting. The worst attack occurred in October 1994, when a woman detonated explosives strapped to her body at a campaign rally for opposition leader Gamini Dissanayake, killing Dissanayake and 57 others.