Both planes were downed, one of them hitting inland revenue offices, where the casualties occurred, officials said. The building was badly damaged.
The other plane was shot down near the city's airport, which was closed.
The raid comes as the army has driven the Tigers into a shrinking zone of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka.
 |  We were right in the middle of an arc of gunfire and there were search lights into the sky trying to pick out aircraft  Barry Walker British man in Colombo  |
A pro-rebel website, TamilNet, said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), had carried out the attack.
Correspondents say the attack amounts to a major embarrassment for Sri Lanka's government, which had claimed to have destroyed all the rebels' hidden runways and put its small air force out of action.
'Massive explosion'
The city was put on full alert at about 2130 (1600 GMT) as electricity was cut and searchlights and tracer fire from anti-aircraft guns cut through the night sky.
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Briton Barry Walker told the BBC that he was in a central Colombo hotel when the blackout hit.
"We were sitting by the swimming pool when we heard firing of heavy anti-aircraft guns. Heavy shell fire. This lasted 20-25 minutes... then there was a massive explosion," he said.
Mr Walker and other guests were ushered into the hotel's basement for about two hours until the all-clear was given.
Another witness told the BBC he saw a low-flying aircraft and then heard a huge explosion by the city's fort, where many government offices are located.
The air force headquarters, which is in the same area, may have been the target, correspondents say.
Air force jets scrambled
The ministry of defence said a tax office of the inland revenue department was in flames after one of the planes went down into the building.
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