Carnage continues in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 2009, 19:26 GMT]
Indiscriminate shelling and gun fire by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued on safe zone Pokka'nai and Valaignarmadam throughout the day on Thursday. Medical officials at Puthumaaththa'lan hospital told media that more than 300 wounded civilians were admitted and 47 of the victims died after admission at the hospital. Many civilians killed in the shelling and gunfire by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were not brought to the hospital. Total figure of the casualties were not available.

296 civilians were admitted on Wednesday and more than 200 seriously wounded were transferred from the makeshift hospital on Wednesday.

Many children need milk food and nutritional foods very urgently, according to the latest reports from the hospital. SLA shelling targeted mother and child clinic centre and OPD centre in Pokka'nai on Wednesday.

So far, around 7,500 sick and wounded civilians have been evacuated by the ICRC which has lost two of its Tamil staff inside the safe zone.

Chronology: