Colombo, August 14
At least 43 schoolgirls were killed in Sri Lanka’s rebel-held Mullaitivu district today and dozens more hurt when air force jets bombed an orphanage.
According to a LTTE website, the planes hit the orphanage run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) where at least 60 girls were also wounded.
“Kfir jet bombers of the Sri Lanka Air Force dropped several bombs on the premises of the Chencholai Children’s Home in Vallipunam, killing at least 43 schoolgirls,” the report said.
According to the ltteps.org webiste, the aerial attack took place at 7.20 a.m.
It claimed that the school children were participating in a first aid seminar organized by Senchcholai, a well-known girls’ home that cares for children who lost parents in the war.
The injured children are being transported to Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu hospitals. Senchcholai has been caring for children in the Northeast for the past 15 years.
— ANI
