The Sri Lankan navy said the boat, carrying 16 crew in all, was thought to have struck a sea mine planted by Tamil Tiger guerrillas.

But the rebels said the vessel was attacked and destroyed by one of their suicide squads.

This is the second naval vessel sunk since a ceasefire ended in January.

Another patrol boat rescued six of the crew, an officer and five crew, after the sinking, which took place near Nayaru, 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.

Five seamen were lost in the earlier incident in February.

In January the government pulled out of a formal commitment to a 2002 ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers, arguing the rebels had used it to re-group and re-arm.

Since then, fighting has intensified on the frontlines that surround Tiger-held territory in the north.

The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in the north and east since 1983. More than 70,000 people have been killed since then.

They say that ethnic minority Tamils have been marginalised for decades by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.

(BBC)

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