Sri Lanka, Tigers claim victory in naval clash

Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels each claimed victory yesterday after a naval clash that officials said left more than 40 people dead or missing.

The Tigers threatened retaliation if air force bombing restarted. Sri Lankan jets pounded rebel targets on Thursday and Friday in retaliation for an attack on a civilian bus that killed 64 people in the worst violence since a 2002 ceasefire, raising fears of an imminent return to a two-decade civil war.

The government said yesterday that the air strikes had ceased. But officials said more than 40 people were dead or missing in a clash in the northeastern Mannar district, while suspected Tiger frogmen were captured and attempted suicide near the capital.