The young LTTE female suicide bomber, who blew herself up killing 29 people in Sri Lanka's embattled north, sported "a girl next door look" and could hardly be distinguished from the hundreds of Tamil civilians who had fled the war zone.
At least 29 people, including 10 civilians, were killed and 64 others including 40 civilians injured when the suicide bomber blew herself up at an IDP rescue centre, north of Visuamadu in Mullaitivu on Monday.
"The Tamil Tiger suicide cadre quietly hid among the people escaping from the war zone further north realising that she would get caught the moment she entered the security check area," officials said on Tuesday.
The 'Black Tiger' remained calm despite knowing she could be seconds away from being nabbed with the bombs strapped all over her body. LTTE describes suicide bombers as 'Black Tigers'.
"When it came to the crunch, she went up in flames with her body parts flying all around due the intensity of the blast," an official said, adding that 19 Sri Lankan soldiers, most of them unarmed, were among the dead.
The female suicide bomber had come with the civilians who were seeking protection with security forces in guise and blew herself before being screened.
Not far from the severely mutilated body of the suicide bomber lay a little child upside down.
No sooner did the security personnel lift the child to see whether she was alive, the doll clutched to her hand fell and her body was immediately put in an waiting ambulance.
A video clip showed an old lady lying next to the dead child in the ambulance that was moving, testifying to the fact she was alive.
The footage taken after the blast also showed severed bodies lying amidst strewn suitcases and bags stuffed with personal belongings.
Three woman soldiers were also among the victims, the defence ministry said.
Another image showed a blood soaked plastic chair with a man on it and his arm dangling.
"The LTTE terrorists have perpetrated the attack targeting the civilians in reprisal for defying LTTE's orders to take-up arms," the ministry said quoting defence observers.
Ambulances immediately carried the wounded to the Kilinochchi hospital after which several of them were airlifted to be admitted to the hospitals in Anuradhapura and Colombo.
The calm and composure of the bomber was similar to the lady LTTE cadre who made a futile bid to kill cabinet minister and Tamil leader Douglas Devananda in November, 2007.
She blew herself up inside the office of Devananda in the Sri Lankan capital when she realised the security had become suspicious.
