Several people are reported killed in a massive explosion near a mosque in southern Sri Lanka, police say.
At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in southern Sri Lanka, police say.
It is not clear what caused the blast which took place in the town of Akuressa, 160km (100 miles) from the capital, Colombo.
A cabinet minister is among more than 20 people injured in the blast near the town of Matara, 160km (100 miles) south of the capital, Colombo.
Local residents said several government officials and ministers were attending a function at the mosque at the time of the blast.
The Sri Lankan defence ministry said the explosion was a suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels.
Muslims comprise 1.3 million of Sri Lanka's 19 million people.
Local residents said several government ministers were attending a function at the mosque at the time of the blast.
'Muslims targeted'
"An LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] suicide bomber has attacked a mosque at Godapitiya, in Akurassa, in the Matara district," the defence ministry said on its website.
Sri Lanka's oil minister HM Fowzie, who was at the site, told Reuters news agency the bomber appeared to have targeted ministers as they walked in a procession toward the mosque.
"Six ministers were there and terrorists used this opportunity to target us. Only one minister, Mahinda Wijesekara, got injured. Seven bodies have been found at the spot," Mr Fowzie said.
Mr Wijesekara is Sri Lanka's minister for post and telecommunications.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east of the country for a quarter of a century.
In recent weeks, a major Sri Lankan army offensive has inflicted a series of defeats on the Tamil Tiger forces, pushing the rebels into a narrow area of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka.
About 70,000 people have died in the past 25 years.
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