A boy, who was injured in the blast, in a Sri Lanka hospital. (AFP)

Colombo, Jan. 16 (AP): Sri Lanka’s six-year-old ceasefire deal ended today in a spasm of violence, as suspected Tamil Tiger rebels bombed a civilian bus, gunned down the fleeing passengers and attacked farmers as they retreated into the bush.

Thirty one people were killed in the burst of violence.

The bombing highlighted the rebels’ ability to hit deep in government territory and stoked fears that the official end of the truce — largely ignored in recent years — would lead to even worse violence.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the attack as “unmitigated brutality”, and said although it was timed to coincide with the government’s official withdrawal from the ceasefire, it simply mirrored other attacks by the separatist group in recent months.

“This is a brazen demonstration to the whole world of its unchanged commitment to terrorism and the absolute rejection of democracy and all norms of civilised behaviour in the pursuit of its unacceptable goal of separation,” he said.

The attackers struck at about 7.30 am (local time) when they detonated a roadside bomb alongside a passenger bus as it travelled through the remote town of Buttala, about 240 km southeast of Colombo. Gunmen then shot the panicked passengers as they tried to flee, witnesses said. “Everyone that got out through the doors, they shot and killed,” said a 25-year-old passenger who gave his name as Sampath. “I jumped from the window and just escaped.”

The windows of the red bus were shattered by the bomb and bullet holes riddled the sides. The attack killed 26 people — most of them from gunshots — and injured 62, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

The assailants retreated into the bush, shooting and killing five farmers they met along the way and wounding two, he said.

Doctors from Colombo were flown to the area by emergency helicopters to treat the wounded, and the national health services made an emergency appeal for blood donations. Authorities announced a three-day closure of all schools in the province.

Soon after the attack, a second roadside bomb struck an armoured military vehicle in the same region, injuring three soldiers, Nanayakkara said. The government blamed the rebels for the violence.The US embassy condemned the assault, saying “it bears all the hallmarks” of the rebels. The bombings came on the final day of the ceasefire, which had largely broken down over the past two years amid renewed fighting.