2ND LEAD

4 homeguards, one bus-driver killed, one injured in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 August 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Four homeguards including a female, and a bus driver were shot dead, and one injured by unknown gunmen in U'lukku'lam in Vavuniyaa around 1:45 p.m. Monday, Police sources from Vavuniyaa said. The body of a female killed during the attack has been brought to the Vavuniyaa Government Hospital, and a Police officer injured in the attack has been taken to Anuradhapura Hospital for further treatment. The bodies of the homeguards have not been transferred to the Vavuniyaa hospital until 4:00 p.m. according to hospital sources.

Tension prevails in the area, and many families from the adjoining village of Veerapuram have started to moving to safer areas fearing reprisals from Sri Lanka Army (SLA), civil sources from Vavuniyaa said.

Meanwhile, more than fifty homeguards stopped a van belonging to Sri Lanka Telecom travelling through U'lukku'lam unaware of the killings, and beat up the officials inside the vehicle and damaged the vehicle.

Vavuniyaa Police is investigating the incident.