(Adds witness quotes and details, increases toll) By Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew herself up in a packed railway station in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Sunday, killing 10 people and wounding around 100, the military said. The blast, on the eve of ceremonies to mark the troubled island nation's 60th anniversary, came hours after a crude bomb went off in a zoo in the capital and wounded four visitors. Both attacks were blamed by the government on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the island. There was no immediate comment from the rebels, who have in the past denied targeting civilians. "When I entered the station after buying a ticket I heard a loud explosion. I ran off with the others," said witness S.Ilangovan after the blast at the crowded Fort station in central Colombo. Fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE rebels has escalated since the government scrapped a six-year ceasefire last month, saying the rebels were using it to rebuild and re-arm. Local television showed footage of bodies lying on the railway station platform in a pool of blood. Four compartments of a train at the island's main railway station were badly damaged. Shattered glass and shrapnel were scattered around. "When I came out of the ticket counter office, I saw a police officer running with blood on his chest," said Ravindra, a ticket counter officer at the Fort railway station. "I saw seven people, including a woman, were lying on the platform." APPEAL FOR VIGILANCE Visiting the scene, the transport minister said security at railway stations would be increased and appealed to commuters to be more vigilant. "We are at the last stage of the war. So we have to expect more than this," said Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma. Hospital authorities said a 12-year-old girl was among the dead and some children were wounded. Anil Jasinghe, director of the national hospital, said 10 people were in a critical condition. Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, said the attacks appeared to be aimed at sowing panic among residents of Colombo ahead of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain. "They are trying to scare people off," he said. The railway station bombing came hours after a crude bomb went off in a zoo, wounding four visitors. None of the animals were hurt in the blast near a bird enclosure at the zoo, which is popular with residents and tourists. A day earlier, a bombing that was also blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels killed 18 people and wounded more than 50 civilians in the town of Dambulla in central Sri Lanka. On the battlefront, troops killed 46 rebels in clashes in the northern areas of Jaffna, Vavuniya and Polonnaruwa and Mannar in the northwest, the military said, adding it lost two soldiers. Independent verification of battle casualties is not possible, and analysts say both sides tend to exaggerate enemy losses. The two-decade conflict has killed an estimated 70,000 people. (Additional reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
Soldiers march during a rehearsal for Sri Lanka's 60th independence day ceremony in Colombo February 2, 2008. REUTERS/Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi (SRI LANKA) ...
