Sixty people were feared dead today in an accidental explosion of dynamite meant for road construction in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan army said today that it killed 10 Tamil Tiger rebels during a battle in the country’s volatile east.

The Sri Lankan government today said it has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and foreign ceasefire monitors to persuade the Tamil Tiger rebels to help create a safe haven for an estimated 35,000 refugees caught in ongoing violence in the east.

A day-long fierce exchange of artillery and mortar fire between Sri Lanka’s troops and Tamil Tiger rebels has resulted in the death of 64 combatants from both sides, the military said today.

Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated two mines in eastern Sri Lanka today, killing two soldiers and a policeman, the military said, in continuing violence that threatens to push the island nation back into civil war.