Sri Lanka Cricket Team Bus Attacked in Pakistan, 5 Dead, 5 Players Injured

Though it has nothing do with technology, still we just couldn’t let this bewitching incident not happen to our site. India had pulled out from a Cricket series in Pakistan after the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Sri Lanka was invited and they accepted. And now they are paying a bigger price for that. According to Reuters and other news sources, four of their players are critically injured after 12-13 gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus (en route to Guddafi Stadium in Lahore today)with modern ammunitions and even rocket launchers! Five Policemen are suspected to be dead including two commandos. Aren’t you being reminded of another Munich incident?

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I will quote the exact news from Reuters,

Gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus on Tuesday as it drove to a stadium in the Pakistani city of Lahore, according witnesses and cricket officials.

Sri Lankan media, quoting the sports minister, said four players received minor injuries in the attack — Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana.

Pakistan television channels news channels said four people were killed.

A witness told Reuters he believed two police commandos were killed along with a regular policeman and a traffic warden. Shopkeeper Ahmed Ali said the two police commandos had been driving behind the team bus when they were hit.

“It was a very heavy firing and I heard at least two explosions at the time,” said a Reuters witness who had been on his way to cover the test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan only invited the Sri Lanka team to tour after India’s team pulled out with security concerns following the militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in November.

Will anyone ever think of playing in Pakistan? Especially after gunmen attack foreign team bus on road in a clear morning! For once, Indian team will heave a sigh of relief that they weren’t there in the bus to be welcome by bullets and bombs and rocket launchers.

If you have forgot, there was supposed to be a cricket match though. We hope the injury isn’t that serious for Sri Lankan players.

Edit:Mar 3, 2009, 12:58 PM IST

PTI adds

BCCI on Tuesday expressed its sorrow and anguish over the dastardly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, where six players were injured.

“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured cricketers, and sympathise with their families and compatriots,” BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement issued here.

“The BCCI stands alongside Sri Lanka Cricket in this hour of crisis,” he said.