UXO explosion kills one, injures two in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 18:07 GMT]
Vettivel Sivaloganathan, 37, a resident of Gurunagar, died on the spot and two others, Antony Prasanna (22) and S.Johnson (24), also of Gurunagar, sustained grievous injuries when a live artillery shell found abandoned in the Ariyalai-Nedunkulam area in the Jaffna town exploded Monday afternoon at about 12.35 p.m., police said.

According to police, the explosion took place when the victims attempted to cut the artillery shell with some weapons. The condition of one of the injured who were admitted to the Jaffna teaching hospital is reported to be critical, medical sources said.

Sources at the Jaffna Humanitarian Agencies Forum said that they fear more unexploded ordnance (UXO) used by the Sri Lanka Army during military operation could be buried in the area.

Jaffna additional magistrate, Ms. Srinithi Kamalasekaran, held the inquest into the death of the deceased, medical sources said.

Internally displaced families have been returning to the Ariyalai-Nedunkulam area and the explosion has caused panic among them, civilian sources said.