Shell buildings hit in suspected Tiger attack in Sri Lanka

April 29, 2007 (AFP) - A Shell building in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo caught fire early Sunday following a suspected aeriel attack by Tamil Tigers, an official with the energy group said.









Shell, which acquired a 51 percent stake in the state-owned Colombo Gas Company when it was privatised in 1995 for 37 million dollars, is still partially owned by the government.

"There has been some explosion and we don't know the extent of damage," said Shell Gas's media manager, Chamani Herath Pathirage.

Fire engines were rushed to the scene after reports that three buildings had been hit, but there were no reports of gas storage tanks being affected.

Shell Gas Lanka, Sri Lanka's largest producer of gas, has a storage facility just north of Colombo.