COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Seventeen commuters were injured Wednesday when Tamil Tiger rebels tried to blow up a crowded passenger train bringing workers to the capital of Sri Lanka, police said.A bomb placed on the rail track in the southern suburb of Dehiwala missed the engine and partially hit the first compartment.

"A delayed explosion would have caused severe damage," a police official said.The train was headed from the southern town of Panadura, about 17 miles (27 km) away.Police were looking for a Tamil Tiger rebel who they say left behind a bag with a remote-control device. Eyewitnesses told police he ran from the area when the explosion occurred.

A blast on the same track killed 13 commuters on May 26.

(Courtesy : CNN )