COLOMBO, April 11, 2007 (AFP) - Heavy fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka has left 21 people dead on both sides, the defence ministry said Wednesday.

The clashes erupted when rebels launched mortar attacks against military positions late Tuesday across a front line at Omanthai, the main crossing point between government and Tiger-held territory.

The ministry said in a statement that one government soldier was killed and four others wounded, adding that intercepted rebel radio communication showed that 20 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in the military retaliation.

The Omanthai crossing was shut for the second day straight day Wednesday following the heavy shelling, officials in the area said.

The military said the Tigers were shelling government positions to obstruct the transport of supplies across the front line.

The International Red Cross this week expressed concern over a sharp rise in civilian deaths in the northern and eastern regions.

On Saturday, suspected Tiger rebels blew up a passenger bus in the northern district of Vavuniya, killing eight people and wounding 25.

Over 4,000 people died between December 2005 and the first week of March 2007, including 675 civilians and 1,040 security personnel, according to defence ministry figures.

The LTTE has waged a 35-year campaign for independence that has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

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