Colombo central bus station bombing
The Colombo central bus station bombing was the car bombing of the central bus terminal of Colombo carried out on April 21, 1987, in Pettah, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The 80-pound (36 kg) bomb killed at least 113 people and left a 10-foot (3 m) crater in the ground. The New York Times estimated 200 people had been injured.
| Colombo central bus station bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Sri Lankan Civil War | |
Colombo central bus station bombing (Central Colombo) Colombo central bus station bombing (Colombo Municipality) | |
| Location | Pettah, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 6°56′4.92″N 79°51′17.28″E |
| Date | April 21, 1987 (UTC+5:30) |
Attack type | Car bombing |
| Deaths | 113-150 |
| Perpetrator | Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
The bombing, which was chosen specifically to land on the time of the day in order to harm as many people as possible, produced an enormous explosion that could be heard ten miles away. Six buses were trapped in the attack, causing numerous passengers to die in the fire as their buses burned. Heavy rainfall delayed rescue workers from arriving to the scene at time. Heaps of victims, including old people and children lay on the ground in agony before they were received by authorities.
The Bank of Ceylon Pettah branch was also heavily damaged during the attack. The attack had been attributed to the Tamil militant groups, EROS and the LTTE.