Sri Lanka minister survives blast

Last Updated: Friday, 1 December2006, 08:06 GMT

Sri Lanka minister survives blast

Gothabaya Rajapakse (l) is hugged by his brother after the blast Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother has escaped a suspected suicide bomb attack in the capital, Colombo, officials said. Gothabaya Rajapakse, who is also the defence secretary, was "safe", a military spokesman said. The government has blamed Tamil Tiger rebels for the blast, which killed at least one person and hurt 14 others.