COLOMBO: The military imposed a curfew in a Sri Lankan town after a police shooting killed at least two people during a night of ethnic violence.

Over 1,000 majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils clashed over a road accident between a Sinhalese-owned bus and a Tamil-owned three-wheel motorcycle taxi, police spokesman Rienzie Perera said.

Police were "compelled to open fire to quell mobs who torched shops and houses and attacked our people," Perera said, adding that the shooting left two people dead. He declined to identify the dead men, saying it might fuel tension in the area.

However, a political party representing Tamils in the region said three Tamils were killed in the shooting and accused police of using excessive force to quell the violence.

The government yesterday deployed army troops in the area and imposed an indefinite curfew, barring people from leaving their homes.