Sri Lanka army kills 1257 civilians in latest strike In the Government declared Save Zone

A massive artillery barrage by the Sri Lankan army last night killed at least 1257 civilians and left another 3814 wounded in the Save Zone declared by Government of Srilanka. A doctor working in the Save Zone make shift hospital  described the assault as the bloodiest he had seen in the government’s offensive against the Tamils.

Dr V Shanmugarajah said he feared many more may have been killed since some bodies were being buried on the spot without being brought to the makeshift hospital he runs.

Shanmugarajah described seeing shells fly through the air, with some falling close to the hospital, forcing many to flee to bunkers for shelter.

The government vowed two weeks ago to cease firing heavy weapons into the tiny coastal strip that remained under LTTE control in an effort to avoid civilian casualties. However, medical officials in the area have reported that air strikes and artillery attacks have continued unabated, despite the presence of an estimated 150,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the Save Zone.