The blast, which was blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels, occurred at a bus stop in the southern suburb of Mount Lavinia.

Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said the crew had begun to evacuate passengers after a woman spotted a suspicious parcel.

There have been a series of blasts targeting buses since the government pulled out of ceasefire last month.

Fighting has also been taking place on the front lines that surround territory the rebels control in the north of the island.

The government says the military has killed more than 1,000 rebel fighters in daily battles since the ceasefire ended, while 83 soldiers and police have died.

Last week, the International Red Cross said the number of civilians killed or wounded ended had reached "appalling levels", with 180 killed so far this year.

Vigilance

The bus attacked on Saturday had been travelling through Mount Lavinia when an elderly woman passenger spotted a suspicious package and raised the alarm.

She alerted the driver and conductor, who quickly began to evacuate the passengers.

Soon afterwards there was a large explosion which severely damaged the bus.

Brig Nanayakkara said the woman's vigilance had saved many lives.

"They got everyone off the bus, and then the driver moved the bus 10-15m away from the bus stop," he told the Reuters news agency.

"They should be commended. No-one was killed."

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Brig Nanayakkara blamed the Tamil Tigers.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for Tamils, who they say have been discriminated against by successive Sri Lankan governments.

Correspondents say that fighting between the two sides since then has killed more than 70,000 people.

(BBC)

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