Monday, September 18 2006 12:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Tamil Tiger rebels have hacked to death 11 Muslim construction workers in eastern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said.

The bodies of the victims were found today near Panama in the district of Ampara, a ministry official said.

The victims were labourers working on an irrigation project. One man escaped with injuries and has been admitted to hospital.

There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers to the massacre which came as the navy and the airforce bombed and sank a suspected Tiger arms ship off the same coastal region yesterday (Sept 17,2006).

It was not clear if the two incidents were related, but the Tigers have been accused of attacking minority Muslims in the region.