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Sri Lanka 'shells rebel hospital' | |
(30 minutes later) | |
Sri Lankan government forces have shelled a hospital inside the conflict zone killing at least 45 people, Tamil Tiger rebel and hospital sources say. | Sri Lankan government forces have shelled a hospital inside the conflict zone killing at least 45 people, Tamil Tiger rebel and hospital sources say. |
The rebels said the makeshift hospital in Mullivaikal was hit early in the morning, and people injured in weekend attacks were among the dead. | The rebels said the makeshift hospital in Mullivaikal was hit early in the morning, and people injured in weekend attacks were among the dead. |
The government has repeatedly denied shelling the war zone, saying it is rebels who are attacking civilians. | The government has repeatedly denied shelling the war zone, saying it is rebels who are attacking civilians. |
The claims are impossible to verify as reporters are banned from the area. | The claims are impossible to verify as reporters are banned from the area. |
More than 400 people were killed and over 1,000 injured over the weekend in what the UN has described as a bloodbath. | |
See a map of the conflict region | |
Many of the casualties from that fighting were taken to the Mullivaikal hospital. | Many of the casualties from that fighting were taken to the Mullivaikal hospital. |
Thurairaja Varatharajah, a health official at the hospital, told the Associated Press news agency it had been hit by a single mortar shell. | Thurairaja Varatharajah, a health official at the hospital, told the Associated Press news agency it had been hit by a single mortar shell. |
More than 50 people were injured, and he expected the death toll to rise because many of the injured had bad head and stomach wounds, he added. | |
However, military sources have suggested that doctors in the zone may be being forced to give statements at gunpoint by rebels. | |
'Nowhere to run' | |
Rebel spokesman Seevaratnam Puleedevan told AP civilians were fleeing in all directions. | |
"There's no place to seek shelter or protect themselves," he said. | |
The Sri Lankan military has meanwhile blamed civilian deaths on the Tigers, saying they are using people as human shields. | |
The UN estimates that about 50,000 civilians are trapped by the conflict, in a three-sq-km strip of land. | The UN estimates that about 50,000 civilians are trapped by the conflict, in a three-sq-km strip of land. |
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate halt to the fighting. | |
The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983. | The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983. |
More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war. | More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war. |
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