Colombo- Suspected Tamil rebels Friday fired at a civilian bus in south-eastern Sri Lanka, killing at least three passengers and injuring 26 others, senior police superintendent Ranjith Gunasekara said.

He said the bus, carrying 40 passengers, came under fire in Buttala, 360 kilometres south-east of the capital Colombo, on Friday morning.

A 12-year-old child and two women were killed, Gunasekara said.

A series of similar attacks on buses, including one with a claymore mine, have taken place in the area in the last year.

The government earlier blamed the attacks on the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and stepped up security in the region.

Military officials said the rebel attacks in the area were an attempt to divert the attention of the security forces who are engaged in military operations against the rebels in the north. (dpa)