Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 15, SPA -- A powerful land mine ripped through a bus packed with commuters and schoolchildren in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday, killing at least 62 people, the army said. Sri Lanka’s air force responded by bombing rebel-held areas in the northeast, the Associated Press reported. The army blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels for the bus explosion, but the rebels denied responsibility. The explosion — described as "huge" by military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe — was the worst single act of violence since the government and Tamil Tiger rebels signed a cease-fire in 2002, and renewed fears of a return to war. --SPA 15/06/2006 11:28 ت م www.spa.gov.sa/368845