Troops poisoned in Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA'S military launched an investigation into the poisoning of 17 soldiers yesterday amid allegations they had been forced to eat plastic explosives during a training exercise.

The 17 soldiers undergoing commando training were admitted to a hospital early yesterday, a military official said, adding that one of them was in a critical condition.

An instructor of the soldiers had fled the base in northern Sri Lanka following the incident, a military source said.