7TH LEAD (Adds NESOHR report)

8 civilians killed in SLAF bombardment in Poonakari, children among victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 February 2008, 05:37 GMT]
Eight civilians including a 6-month-old infant, a 4-year-old boy, their mother, a 8-year-old girl and an English teacher were killed, 14 including four children and another teacher were wounded in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment of a civilian settlement at Kiraagnchi in the Poonakari division of Ki'linochchi district Friday at 8:10 a.m. Three houses were fully destroyed and many houses have sustained damage in the indiscriminate aerial bombardment in which more than 20 bombs were dropped by four bombers. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan ministry of defence in Colombo claimed that the SLAF had attacked "an inland sea tiger base" at Kiraagnchi.



I. Sivanayaki, 27, the English teacher of Vearavil school was killed while she was preparing to leave her house towards the school. 34-year-old Gowrinayaki Sasitharan, her 06-month-old infant S. Thamizhveanthan and 04-year-old S. Kajeevan were killed when their house was destroyed in SLAF bombardment. Their father escaped with injuries while another son is struggling for his life at Ki'linochchi hospital with serious injuries to his chest. Another mother, 27-year-old Suthaharan Sumathy, was killed, her two children, S. Banushan, 06, and S. Sabheena, 05, were wounded in the attack. Their father escaped the attack as he was on his way to Ki'linochchi when his house was bombed by the SLAF.

The others killed were identified as Vijayakumar Vithusha, 08, another child, Kathiravelu Thiruneelakandar, 79, and Inthiran Lalitha.

The injured were rushed to Muzhangkaavil hospital and the seriously wounded were being transferred to Ki'linochchi hospital.

Four of the wounded brought Friday noon to Ki'ilinochchi hospital were identified as Banushan Suthaharan, 06, Kaarunyan Sasitharan, 08, Arulanantham, 72, Tharmalingam Poomani, 68.

Banusha's sister 05-year-old Sabeena Suthaharan was brought to Ki'linochchi hospital in the second ambulance.

The others wounded in the attack were identified as Kamalathevi Sathasivam, 60, Vijayakumar Sivananthi, 36, Vijayakumar Dinoshan, 02, Arulanantham Leelavathi Saththiyanathan Theyvanayakai, 43, Sasitharan Karunyan, 08.

Sreevathy Rajeaswari, 39, a teacher at Kiraagnchi Govt. Tamil Mixed School was also wounded in the attack.

Only two of the fourteen wounded had sustained minor injuries.

Sri Lankan ministry of defence, in a news release sent to media, claimed that their pilots have confirmed completing the mission successfully, but said "LTTE terrorists are yet to reveal the damages."





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