Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday conveyed his condolences to the Chinese government and people on the terrorist attack against civilians in the South-western city of Kunming, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"It is with deep sadness and dismay that I have learnt of the tragic loss of lives in the senseless knife attack against civilians at a railway station in the South-western Chinese city of Kunming. Attacking unarmed innocent people demonstrates the inhuman and barbaric nature of terrorism," the official letter released late Monday evening said.

Rajapaksa went on to say the government and the people of Sri Lanka extend sincere condolences to the government and the people of China, particularly the members of the bereaved families, in this hour of sorrow.

"As a country that has suffered grievously from terrorism, we are acutely conscious of the dangers it poses to all of humanity, and the imperative need for determined and concerted action to eradicate this scourge," he added referring to Sri Lanka's three decade conflict that ended in 2009.

While condemning the brutal attack in the strongest possible terms, Sri Lanka stands firm in solidarity with the government of China in fighting against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the statement noted.

Knife-wielding attackers slashed frantically at crowds at a railway station in Kunming on Saturday, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan province on Saturday, killing 29 people and injuring 143.