Britons hurt in Sri Lanka blast

Security has been tightened following Monday's attack

Two Britons are thought to have been injured after a bus hit a mine in north-eastern Sri Lanka, killing 12 sailors and injuring eight.

The British tourists had been travelling in another vehicle, according to a local doctor. The bus was carrying troops from Trincomalee.

The Foreign Office said the Britons did not have life-threatening injuries and the bus had veered into their minibus.

Officials in Sri Lanka have blamed the blast on Tamil rebels.

The bus attack took place as the vehicle travelled from the port town of Trincomalee to Colombo, according to a military spokesman.

According to the Foreign Office, the injured Britons had been travelling with a Sri Lankan and another Briton in a minibus when the bus veered into them.

However, a spokeswoman said she was unable to provide further details as next of kin have not been informed.

The Associated Press news agency reported that the injured pair were a mother and daughter from Norwich and have been transferred to Colombo in a Sri Lankan air force helicopter.

More than 60,000 people have died during two decades of conflict in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Tigers want autonomy for minority Tamils in the north and east.