2ND LEAD

Civilian casualties increases 8 fold in Ki'linochchi district

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 January 2009, 00:54 GMT]
Ki'linochchi hospital, which was functioning in the town earlier has been moved closer to civilian centers, and is now functioning from Tharmapuram and two schools in Visuvamadu - at Visuvamadu Maha viththiyaalayam and Punnaineeraavi school - and in Kallaa'ru in Chu'ndikku'lam. The hospitals are functioning in difficult conditions and are overwhelmed with civilian casualties from the air strikes and artillery attacks. Only during the first week of January 2009 the hospitals belonging to Ki'linochchi district had to attend a number of casualties equaling that of 8 weeks during the months of November and December in 2008.

12 civilians were killed in the first week of January. There were 77 civilians with injuries admitted to the hospitals that belong to Ki'linochchi district during the first week.

Tharmapuram hospital was struggling to cope with the number of patients. Shells exploded also near the hospital causing panic among the patients and the staff.

At least 47 of the victims in the first week of January were from Murasumoaddai and 36 of them were wounded in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacks. The others were wounded in artillery shelling. 20 of the patients from Vaddakkachchi were wounded in artillery shelling.