Suspected rebel gunmen ambushed a crowded passenger bus Friday as it traveled down a small rural road in southern Sri Lanka, killing a 9-year-old boy and two women, AP quoted the military as saying. A group of gunmen hiding by the side of the road near the southern village of Buttala raked the passing civilian bus with gunfire, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. The bus driver sped through the ambush, only stopping when he reached safety, Nanayakkara said. He blamed the rebels for the attack, which he said killed a boy and two women and wounded 26 others. Troops were sent to the remote site to try to find the assailants, he said.
