COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Shelling killed 54 civilians in a supposed “no-fire” zone in Sri Lanka’s war between the government and separatist Tamil rebels, and the exodus of people fleeing the fighting has picked up pace, officials said.
The victims were among the tens of thousands of terrified civilians trapped in a sliver of jungle and beach along the island’s northeast coast where government troops are battling to dislodge remnants of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Dr. Thurairaja Varatharajah, chief of a makeshift hospital in the war zone and the top government health official in the area, said 54 people were killed by shelling on Wednesday.
The military has repeatedly denied that it has shelled the 7.5-mile-long “no-fire” zone that it has proclaimed as a place for civilians to seek safety. The government has also disputed statements by Varatharajah in the past.
