By P. Karunakharan, IANS,

Colombo : At least 11 civilians were killed and 29 wounded when a powerful bomb tore through a cafe in Sri Lanka's east Friday evening, a day ahead of provincial council elections, military sources said.

The explosion occurred inside New City café in the heart of Amparai town at 5.44 p.m., military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told IANS.

Nanayakkara blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the blast.

"It is obviously the work of the LTTE as it wants to sabotage and create fear among the voters," Nanayakkara said, adding that security in the area had been further tightened to ensure a violence-free poll.

Although there are reports that a key Muslim minister had passed the bomb site minutes before the explosion, this could not be confirmed.

Sri Lanka's eastern province comprising Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai districts will elect its maiden provincial council Saturday, about a year after troops seized the former LTTE strongholds.

Friday's bomb attack occurred barely hours after Sri Lanka's Supreme Court directed the Election Commissioner to ensure a free and fair election in the east.