Colombo: At least 14 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and several others wounded when suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off a powerful roadside bomb targeting a military convoy in the island's north today.

Local police in Vavuniya said the bomb, which was apparently rigged to a parked vehicle, exploded at Chettikulam when the army convoy passed through. The soldiers were returning home on leave.

The latest attack came as security was stepped up in capital Colombo amid fears of bomb attacks by Tiger rebels.