TWO Tamil Tiger officials surrendered to the Sri Lankan army yesterday, and refugees joined a stream of more than 80,000 people the government says have fled a war zone that appeared to shrink by the hour.

SRI LANKA’S Tamil rebels said yesterday that 1,000 civilians died in a government raid on their territory that the military says freed thousands of noncombatants from the war zone. The military denied the accusation.

Sri Lanka’s military said today troops had rescued more than 5,000 civilians from the small sliver of territory in the north where remaining Tamil rebels were making their last stand.

A BOMB ripped through part of a packed passenger train during evening rush hour yesterday, killing eight people and wounding 70 others near the Sri Lankan capital.

An explosion in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo today killing four people injuring about 20, police and hospital officials said.