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Undated handout photo by pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website shows what it claims are wounded Tamil civilians at makeshift hospital inside rebel-held territory (12 May 2009) |
A doctor in Sri Lanka's northern war zone says at least 35 civilians
died Wednesday when a mortar hit the only remaining medical facility
there.
The attack follows a similar strike Tuesday, when at least 47 patients were reported killed.
The
International Committee of the Red Cross also said one of its workers
along with his mother were killed in shelling Wednesday. The
organization did not say who was responsible for the attack.
ICRC
officials said current fighting between the military and Tamil Tiger
rebels is so heavy that for a second day in a row, the group's ferry
cannot deliver medical supplies or transport wounded from the combat
zone.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says satellite images, along
with witness accounts, contradict government claims that its armed
forces are no longer using heavy weapons in the densely populated
region.
The New York-based group said in a statement late
Tuesday, a health official in the area had told them the weapons were
being fired from an area under government control.
HRW also said
witnesses have described sheltering from artillery attacks and being
prevented by the Tamil Tiger rebels from escaping to
government-controlled areas.
The group's Asia director, Brad
Adams, said neither the army nor the rebels appear to have any
reluctance in using civilians as "cannon fodder."
The United
Nations aid agencies said they have little access to an estimated
50,000 civilians who are trapped in the conflict zone.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.