Fisherman loses hands in mine blast in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 April 2009, 15:29 GMT]
A fisherman from Jaffna engaged in fishing in Kannaatheevu in Ariyaalai East area unknowingly stepping on a land mine placed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) sustained serious injuries when it exploded, fishermen who admitted him to Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) said. Both hands of the fishermen had to be amputated and he still remains in a critical condition, JTH sources said.

The fisherman was identified as Mariyathas Yakshan, 31, a father of 2 children and a resident of St. Patrick Road in Jaffna.

Many areas in Jaffna peninsula are still infested with land mines set by SLA in the past, civil society sources in Jaffna said.