A series of clashes between security forces and Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka has left at least 41 people dead.
About 12 rebel boats engaged the Sri Lankan navy off the coast of Mannar island this morning, following a mortar attack on a coastal police station on the island.
In the resulting battle, government troops destroyed at least eight rebel craft, killing at least 30 Tamil rebels
In a statement, the navy said it had lost six men in the battle and three sailors had been wounded.
The Sri Lankan air force had earlier bombed rebel positions following the deaths of 64 civilians in a bus bombing on Thursday.
The clashes marked a further escalation of violence despite a February 2002 truce.
International condemnation of the bombing of bus passengers prompted calls for both the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to return to the negotiating table.
The EU, which last month banned the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organisation, has issued a statement appealing for a negotiated settlement to the island's drawn out conflict, which has claimed over 60,000 lives since 1972.
