Air-strike kills 20 civilians -LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
More than 20 civilians were killed and more than 50 were critically injured when two Kfir jets belonging to the Sri Lankan Air Force carried out a massive bombing raid on the civilian habitations at 9.15 am this morning in Suthanthirapuram area of Mullaitivu district, said the Libeartion Tigers in a press release issued from International Secretariat in London this evening.

The press release said "immediately after the bombers had left the scene the artillery pieces of Elephant Pass and Karipatta Murippu opened fire targeting the bombed out area. Many more were killed and injured in this massive shell fire. Bodies were hard to identify and a search operation is being conducted in the rubble to recover the buried bodies."

The statement also said that Hospitals are overflowing with the injured.

"The Vanni hospitals and their staff are ill-equipped to meet an emergency situation of this nature. There are no bandages, antibiotics and beds. In Pudukudiyiruppu Hospital alone 40 injured are laid on the floor. The condition of six among this 40 are critical. Details of those admitted to the other hospitals such as Tharmapuram are not available.", the LTTE statement further said.