Suspected Tamil Tiger fighters have attacked Sri Lanka's international airport north of the capital Colombo, the country's military has said.
Witnesses who live nearby said they heard gunfire and several blasts before dawn on Monday near the Bandaranaike international airport.
Flight Lieutenant Kanista Rajapakse said: "There is an attack going on, but we don't have any details."
The attack comes as fighting in the island's two-decade civil war continues to escalate. The conflict between Sri Lanka's government and the island nation's Tamil minority has killed around 68,000 people since 1983.
The airport was attacked by Tamil Tigers in July 2001, who destroyed six civilian jets after wrecking more than a dozen military aircraft at the adjoining airbase.