Sri Lanka's Navy said that it destroyed a boat, which allegedly belonged to rebel Tamil Tiger, and damaged another, killing at least eight insurgents off the island's eastern coast on Monday.

"One boat was destroyed while another boat was recovered later along with a body of insurgents' sea wing", navy spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said.

"The sea Tiger boats fired at the Navy patrol prompting the Navy to retaliate", the Naval spokesman said. At least eight members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sea wing are believed to have died in the attack.

The attack took place around 4.30 a.m. local time Monday (2100 GMT) at Poduwakatu area in the eastern port district of Trincomalee.

The Navy said some weapons had been discovered on board the vessel damaged.

The clash broke out after the navy spotted suspicious movement of two boats in a restricted area off the eastern coast. At least eight Tigers were killed in the battle, said Dassanayake.

The sea clash came after the government troops captured from LTTE control Vakarai, a major seat of rebel administration in the east, on Jan. 19.

More than 67,000 people have been killed in the island's separatist armed conflict since the mid 1980s.

Source: Xinhua