Sri Lankan minister escapes suicide blast, one dead

CNews COLOMBO: A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber attacked a convoy ferrying a Sri Lankan cabinet minister outside the capital Colombo on Thursday, killing at least one person, a military spokesman said.Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said a woman suicide bomber believed to be from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) triggered the blast at the passing convoy escorting Agriculture Minister Maithripala Sirisena.The minister was not hurt, but the vehicle carrying his secretary was damaged in the attack and the deputy agriculture minister, Siripala Gamlath, was among seven people injured."As our group of vehicles passed by, I noticed a woman running towards our vehicles and then there was a very loud explosion," Sirisena told state television.Nanayakkara said the minister had been returning to the capital after attending a harvest festival event.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although Tiger suicide bombers have carried out similar attacks in the past.The explosion came just days after a Tiger rebel suicide bomber killed 29 people including a retired army general in the northern town of Anuradhapura.It was not the first time that Sirisena -- secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party -- has escaped an assassination bid.