Death Due To Starvation - first case reported in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 November 2006, 14:45 GMT]
The first reported 'death due to starvation' in the Jaffna peninsula occured Wednesday morning at Puloly in Pt. Pedro in Vadamardchi. The body of the dead man was recovered by his neighbours Wednesday evening and handed to Manthihai Hospital in Pt. Pedro through the Grama Sevaka of the area, Pt. Pedro sources said. Dr. C. S.Kathiravetpillai, the District Medical Officer of Health (DMH) pronounced the cause of death as 'death due to starvation'.

The victim was identified Muthaiah Chandrapala, 80, said his neighbours.

Dr. Kathiravetpillai told TamilNet that there were no traces of food or water in Chandrapala's stomach and that he had died purely due to starvation and cold.

Chandrapala had been living alone and being a very old man his neighbours took turns feeding him. The current food shortage in the peninsula had affected the neighbours too and they could not no longer offer food to him, the neighbours said.

Point Pedro Magistrate ordered the body to be buried at government expense, hospital sources said.

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