2ND LEAD (UPDATE)

3 boats capsize, 14 feared dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 December 2006, 07:34 GMT]
Three of seven boats with Vahari Internally Displaced Persons leaving from Vaharai to Valaichenai Friday around 4:30 a.m capsized due to rough seas and overloading. Only two of the boats reached Valaichenai jetty safely while two boats are still missing. Five bodies were recovered near Valaichenai jetty where the third boat turned over and four persons including a 3 days old infant and a boy were saved. The first boat capsized within a short distance from Vaharai jetty at the start of the journey and the second boat drowned at mid sea between Vaharai and Valaichenai, sources from the region said.

Batticaloa ICRC and Valaichenai hospital staff are engaged in a search for the missing boats.

The boats, with a capacity to take only 10 persons each, were carrying more than that number in each boat.

The choppy weather and rough seas coupled with over weight caused the boats to capsize, sources said.

Two women and a boy drowned dead and four seriously wounded where the first boat capsized near Vaharai jetty.

The dead women were identified as Konalingam Kalapavanam, 45 and Sinnathurai Kunarathinam, 23. The boy was identified as Vivekananthan Sujitharan, 10. The three dead are IDPs from Kadatkaraichenai and harbour area in Trincomalee.

At Valaichenai jetty, four dead bodies have been recovered and seven seriously injured when the third boat capsized.

The four dead, all children of one family, are identified as Ananandaraja Jothy, 24, Ananandarajah Veni, 17, Ananandarajah Meena, 10 and 6 months old Ananandarajah Seran , all IDPs from Kattaiparichan in Trincomalee district.

The continuous shelling by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on the temporary settlements of IDPs located in Vaharai, in addition to the acute lack of food and medicine, were the factors which made the Vaharai IDPs to flee Vaharai. The SLA ban on using the A15, the only land route to Vaharai, drove them to brave the seas risking their lives.

The SLA at Mankerny has blocked the A15 since mid October.


Related Articles:
08.12.06   SLA denies transport to critical Vaharai patients
28.11.06   Food convoy to Vaharai stranded, parties blame each other fo..
16.11.06   Children in Vaharai starving for 48 hours - Jeyanandamoorthy..
15.11.06   Vaharai starves
08.11.06   40 civilian refugees killed in Sri Lankan artillery attack
06.11.06   Vaharai residents face severe food shortage- MP
04.11.06   SLA blocks Vaharai students from taking Scholarship test

 

Latest 15 Reports
24.04.22 05:44  
தீவின் நெருக்கடிச் சூழலில் ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசம் கடைப்பிடிக்கவேண்டிய நிலைப்பாடுகள்
09.04.22 14:44   Photo
குறிதவறும் ஈழத்தமிழர் தலைமைகளுக்கு வரலாறு தருகின்ற எச்சரிக்கை
21.01.22 07:24   Photo
ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசத்தின் தலைமைத்துவம் தேர்தல் அரசியற் கட்சிகளுக்கு அப்பாலானது
02.11.21 15:32   Photo
13 ஆம் சட்டத்திருத்தத்தால் கட்டமைக்கப்பட்ட இன அழிப்பை எதிர்கொள்ள முடியுமா?
15.09.21 08:19  
English version not available
17.05.21 19:23   Photo
Ananthi blames war criminal Silva for blocking collective memorial at Mu'l'livaaykkaal
09.04.21 14:46  
English version not available
23.03.21 12:41   Photo
No focus on Tamil genocide, geopolitics gets played out in Geneva in favour of QUAD formation
21.03.21 13:34   Photo
Navi Pillay explains ‘human rights’ limitations in Geneva on Tamil genocide
15.03.21 20:36   Photo
Deceived Tamil activists in UK falsely claimed ‘substantial changes’ to Zero draft
09.03.21 21:34   Photo
UK repeatedly wronged Tamils says hunger-striker, demands genocide justice
26.02.21 11:53   Photo
Tamils witness false dilemma in Geneva as geopolitical formations pit against each other
19.02.21 14:02   Photo
UK not prepared to push for ICC option in new UNHRC Resolution
07.02.21 23:16   Photo
Unprecedented P2P uprising paves the way for rights-oriented politics of Tamils and Muslims
22.01.21 08:01   Photo
Gotabaya sets up deceptive COI citing ‘sovereignty’ and ‘non-aligned’ foreign policy
 
Find this article at:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=20618