Colombo - Seven people, including four civilians and three air force personnel, were killed in a roadside claymore mine explosion in north-eastern Sri Lanka on Friday morning, police said.

A vehicle carrying a group of construction workers and airmen was targeted in the Morawewa area of the Trincomalee district, 230 kilometres north-east of the capital Colombo.

In addition to the seven dead, another civilian was injured in the blast.

The incident occurred in a government-controlled area where civil administration has been functioning.

Further north, government troops are battling to recapture rebel- held areas and have made steady advances into rebel controlled areas, according to the military.

Troops were heading towards a former military garrison which the army lost in 1991 and recaptured it, but lost it again in 2000.

The former military complex was located in Elephant Pass, 390 kilometres north of the capital, an area strategically located as it is the main link to the northern Jaffna peninsula. (dpa)