2.5 lakh Tamils trapped in Wanni: Red Cross

Colombo: About 2.5 lakh Tamil civilians are trapped in the embattled northern Wanni where "hundreds of people" have been killed in the war between Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE, the Red Cross said on Wednesday and insisted that the "terrified population" needs protection.

Fighting has intensified in the north in recent weeks, with the troops capturing key LTTE bastions of Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu. The UN and rights groups have voiced concern over the humanitarian impact of the war, while External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that efforts should be made by the government to ensure safety of civilians.

Lanka war claimed 16,700 lives in three years: Army

"Hundreds of people have been killed and scores of wounded are in understaffed and ill-equipped medical facilities in Sri Lanka's northern Wanni region, following intensified fighting between the Sri Lanka security forces and the LTTE," the Red Cross said.

"People are being caught in the crossfire, hospitals and ambulances have been hit by shelling and several aid workers have been injured while evacuating the wounded. The violence is preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from operating in the region," Jacques de Maio, ICRC head of operations for South Asia, said in Geneva.

Vanquished LTTE in dire straits

The "terrified population" is in need of protection, medical care and basic assistance, the ICRC said.

It said an estimated 250,000 people are trapped in a 250 sq-km area which has come under intense fighting and that they had no safe area to take shelter and are unable to flee.

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