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 LTTE for the violence. Rebel spokesmen could not be reached for comment.

Though scrapping the truce has little direct impact on the raging war, the Cabinet’s unanimous decision two weeks ago to annul the deal was criticised by peace mediators and foreign governments, who worried it would make it even more difficult to end the decades-old conflict.