At least five people have been killed in a mine attack in north-eastern Sri Lanka blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels, local military officials say.
The explosion in the port town of Trincomalee was apparently aimed at a navy patrol, officials said.
In a separate incident, the navy says five sailors have been wounded in an exchange of fire with the Tigers.
It follows recent violence that has strained a fragile ceasefire and thrown peace talks into doubt.
Four Tamil civilians and a navy official were killed in the blast in Trincomalee which took place in a residential part of the town.
Eight others, including four navy sailors, are said to have been injured.
"The people who did it are not humans, there are small children and ladies around," Kamalachandran, a local resident whose daughter was hurt in the blast, told AP.
Separately, the Sri Lankan navy said boats from the Sea Tigers - the rebels' naval wing, attacked one of its vessels off the coast of Trincomalee.
"They have opened fire and attacked our Dvora," Reuters quoted navy spokesman DKP Dassanayake as saying, referring to the Israeli-built Dvora fast-attack craft.
"We retaliated in self-defence." Source: news.bbc.co.uk