Mortar hits police passing out parade

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 January 2000, 11:53 GMT]
Four civilians and a policeman were killed and 29 others wounded when a mortar shell exploded soon after the conclusion of a passing out parade, around 10 a.m. at Morawewa Police Training School, 30 km. north of Trincomalee, security sources said.

The civilians killed were the relatives of newly graduated police personnel, sources said.

The name of the chief guest at the passing out parade was not known.

Security sources accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of firing a mortar when the passing out ceremony ended.

Of the 29 wounded, 18 were transferred to Anuradhapura hospital. The rest were transferred to Trincomalee hospital.