Navy honors sailor hero 

[Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 05.40 GMT]

Petty Officer N. W. S. I. Bandara who averted a major disaster by defusing a time bomb at a Sunday Fair in Anuradhapura on February 10 was promoted to Chief Petty Officer rank by Navy Commander Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda yesterday (February 11). 

Bandara, attached to the Mannar Silavathura Kondampiddi Naval detachment defused the bomb made with 1.5 kilograms of lethal C 4 explosives and 350 steel balls packed in to a plastic can. 

Ballistic experts say the bomb would have exploded in 5-6 minutes if it had not been defused.