'Four die' in S Lanka bus attack

At least four people have been killed and 25 others wounded when gunmen ambushed a crowded passenger bus in Sri Lanka, the army has said.

The attack took place in the southern town of Buttala, 240km (150 miles) south-east of the capital, Colombo.

Unidentified gunmen hiding by the side of the road began firing at the bus as it passed, officials said.

They blamed the attack on Tamil Tiger rebels who are fighting for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka.

'Sped through'

"A group of gunmen hiding by the side of the road near Buttala raked the passing civilian bus with gunfire," news agency Associated Press quoted military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying.

"The bus driver sped through the ambush, only stopping when he reached safety," he said.

"Two females and a 12-year-old child were among the victims killed in this attack and their bodies have been laid at the hospital," the defence ministry said in a statement.

An injured civilian succumbed to injuries at the hospital, taking the number of dead to four, the statement said.

The wounded have been admitted to nearby hospitals, officials said.

In January, 26 people died in a bomb attack on a bus in the same area.

There has been no immediate word from the rebels, who have carried out a number of attacks in the south in recent months.

Buttala is in a Sinhalese-dominated area, far from the rebels' stronghold in the north.