A Sri Lankan police officer patrols out side a mosque in Colombo (Photo|AP) 
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Minor explosion in Sri Lanka, no casualties; public urged not to panic

The explosion occurred in a garbage dump behind the Magistrate's Court in Pugoda, some 36 km from Colombo at a time when search operations in the area were underway.

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COLOMBO: A minor explosion occurred in the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital on Thursday, although there were no reports of casualties or damages in the incident that came four days after the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, police said.

The explosion occurred at around 9 a.m. in a garbage dump behind the Magistrate's Court in Pugoda, some 36 km from Colombo, reports Xinhua news agency.

Following the blast police have advised the general public not to panic as the security forces are conducting search operations in the area and also across the country, reports the Daily Mirror.

In the Easter Sunday bombings, hundreds of others were also injured in what is being called as the bloodiest day in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war a decade ago.

The Sri Lankan government has blamed a local Muslim outfit, National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), for the deadly bombings.

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