7 civilians killed, 29 injured in SLA artillery attack on civilian centre in Vanni

At least four civilians have been killed and many injured in an artillery attack on the Tharmapuram Junction, in Vanni today (Thursday) while in another attack in Vaddakkachchi three persons including a child were killed. The attack was made targeting Tharmapuram Junction, located about 80 meters away from the hospital, which is the remaining centre of internally displaced people in vanni around 1 p.m.

The victims, both dead and wounded, have been taken to the hospital, according to hospital sources. Two victims killed at Tharmapuram have been identified as Tharsha Yogan,19, and Nachchippillai Balanayagam, 78. Another young boy and a man killed in the attack are yet to be identified.

In Vaddakkachchi, three vicims killed are: a 11-month-old baby boy, Sasikaran Chudarnilavan, and two females, 20-year-old Pratheepa Krishnakumar and 45-year-old Kamala.

Persons wounded at Tharmapuram are: Parany, 6, Ramesh, 22, Vijayan Usha, 30, Sasikaran Sasi, 25, Thommai Jenita, 38, Antony Mariyathas, 17, Markandu Janakaraj, 16, Thommai Kalingan Dulan, 15, Anton Nisanthini, 23, Albonse Pachchaiyamma, 66, Subramaniyam Suganthini, 28, Antonypillai Thevaraj, 41 and Revathy.

 

Persons injured at Vaddakkachchi are: Jeyatharsan, 15, Kulaveerasingam Kulatheepan, 27, Murugesu Sinnarasa, 21, Ramachandran Thulasika, 12, Ramachandran Kumanan, 30, Mathivathanan Nirusha, 12, Arulnesarajah Arasan, 13, Sinnarasa Jegatheepan, 16, Karthigesu Vijayasooriya, 27, Subramaniyam Sivaparan, 26, Selliah Leelavathy, 65, Kulaveerasingam Kulatheepan, 27, Sarweswaran Kavitha, 35, Kanapathipillai Poopalasingam 67.

Many administrative offices of civilian authorities including Kilinochchi district Government Agent’s office and banks, which are providing service to the IDPs of Vanni, are located in Tharmapuram.

The Government Agent’s office is located a few hundred meters away from the attack site and GA’s residence is around 200 meters from the Junction.

The SLA also targeted a leading school at Tharmapuram, located about 350 meters from the Junction.
 
Meanwhile, the emergency treatment of critically injured persons in the attack has been severely hampered, as the hospital is full of the wounded civilians. The number of doctors and other existing facilities are very inadequate to treat so many patients, hospital sources said.