Colombo:
At least two people were killed and five others injured when a hospital treating civilians injured in the war in Sri Lanka's embattled northern region was shelled, the International Committee of Red Cross said on Monday.
The ICRC said the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in the Vanni region was shelled on Sunday afternoon.
",We're shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the second time in recent weeks,", Head of the Colombo delegation of ICRC Paul Castella said in a statement.
However, the pro-LTTE website TamilNet.Com reported that six civilians were killed and 15 injured in the attack.
The shelling came as aid agencies raised concerns over the fate of hundreds of thousands of hapless civilians caught in the war zone after the Sri Lankan Government launched fresh offensive to ",liberate", the last bastions of the LTTE.
The government had, on Sunday, accused the Tamil Tigers of not abiding by the 48-hour deadline set by President Mahinda Rajapakse to the rebels to allow the civilians living in the war zone to cross over to the government-controlled territory.
",Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked,", she said in a statement.
The shelled hospital currently has over 500 in-patients, some of them still waiting to be transferred to the government-controlled area for more adequate treatment, the ICRC said.
The UN also said the hospital was shelled and many casualties reported as the medical establishment was crowded with patients at the time of attack.
The ICRC said the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in the Vanni region was shelled on Sunday afternoon.
",We're shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the second time in recent weeks,", Head of the Colombo delegation of ICRC Paul Castella said in a statement.
However, the pro-LTTE website TamilNet.Com reported that six civilians were killed and 15 injured in the attack.
The shelling came as aid agencies raised concerns over the fate of hundreds of thousands of hapless civilians caught in the war zone after the Sri Lankan Government launched fresh offensive to ",liberate", the last bastions of the LTTE.
The government had, on Sunday, accused the Tamil Tigers of not abiding by the 48-hour deadline set by President Mahinda Rajapakse to the rebels to allow the civilians living in the war zone to cross over to the government-controlled territory.
",Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked,", she said in a statement.
The shelled hospital currently has over 500 in-patients, some of them still waiting to be transferred to the government-controlled area for more adequate treatment, the ICRC said.
The UN also said the hospital was shelled and many casualties reported as the medical establishment was crowded with patients at the time of attack.
