COLOMBO, Nov 18: A Buddhist monk was killed and three other people injured on Sunday in a landmine explosion triggered by Tamil rebels in north-central Sri Lanka, police said.

The vehicle in which the monk was travelling ran over the mine in Kebithigollewa, a village in the predominantly Sinhalese district of Anuradhapura, 180 kilometres northeast of the capital Colombo.

Two fellow monks and the civilian driver were injured.

The incident came a day after suspected Tamil rebels assassinated a candidate of the country’s main opposition party contesting next month’s elections.

The candidate, Thambiraja Jeyakumar, was killed while he was campaigning in Batticaloa district, 300 kilometres east of Colombo.

He was running for the main opposition United National Party (UNP) which is vying to gain control of the 225-seat parliament on December 5.—dpa