Dec 15, Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday offered "heartfelt sympathies" to the United States and its people following the tragic shooting in a Connecticut elementary school that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.

"I wish to convey my personal heartfelt sympathies to Your Excellency, while the people and the Government of Sri Lanka join me in expressing our sincere condolences to the Government and the people of the United States at this tragic moment," President Rajapaksa said in a letter to the US President Barack Obama.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents and siblings of the children who lost their lives, as well as the families of the six adults who were killed."

"In this Christmas season, our sympathies are also with the people of Newtown, who will need fortitude and courage to come to terms with their grief over this terrible carnage in their community," said the President.