COLOMBO, Dec. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A civilian was killed while seven others were injured in a grenade attack in the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavuniya, defense officials said Wednesday.

    Among the injured was a soldier waiting to board a bus while on his way home, officials said.

    A grenade was thrown at a passing military motorcycle around 4:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) from the upper floor of a building which missed its intended target and exploded near a fruit selling boutique in the main bus station.

    Three of the injured were in critical condition, officials said.

    The attack has put the death toll in violence in Northern and Eastern provinces since last Friday to 29 which included 15 soldiers killed in two claymore mine attacks led by the Tamil Tigers on government troops near Jaffna city.

    The growing violence in the two provinces have irked the international truce monitors, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), who urged both the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to adhere to the ongoing cease-fire agreement. Enditem