Sri Lanka's defense ministry says eight people were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb struck a civilian bus in the island's north.
A ministry spokesman says the attack occurred outside the town of Vavuniya. He said seven civilians and one soldier were killed, and that 25 other people were wounded in the blast.
Authorities say seven of the wounded are soldiers.
The military says the bomb was hidden in a tree. It accuses the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of detonating the explosive.
But rebels deny the charge. They accuse the military of carrying out bombings in an effort to discredit the Tamil Tigers.
The bombing was the second attack on a civilian bus within a week.
On Monday, a blast ripped through a bus in eastern Ampara district, killing at least 16 people.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.