The Tamil Tiger rebels are accusing the Sri Lankan government of bombing an orphanage in the east of the country - killing at least 43 children and injuring dozens more. And there are reports of a massive bomb in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. The latest violence comes after hopes of renewed peace talks were again dashed.
International cease-fire monitors say the Tamil Tiger rebels informed them early Monday that the air force had bombed the children's home in eastern Sri Lanka.
But the spokesman for the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, Thorfinnur Omarsson, says fighting is preventing the monitors from reaching the site.
"We'll try to go to this spot if it's possible," said Omarsson. "But as far as this hour, we cannot confirm if it's correct or not."
The government denies the bombing took place.
On Sunday, the government said it had agreed to a rebel proposal to renew peace talks. But the Tamil Tigers deny making the offer.
Fighting in the east and on the northern Jaffna Peninsula threatens to plunge the country back into the civil war that began in 1983 when the rebels demanded a separate homeland for the Tamil minority.
