Minister says almost all injured transfered to east are civilians

Minister MLAM Hisbullah, told BBC Sandeshaya that the majority of those transferred by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from LTTE held territory are civilians caught in "shell, artillery and mortar" attacks.

He added that nearly 150 of the injured have lost their limbs due to heavy fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers in the north.

755 patients

"There may be two, three or five people who are combatants but the overall majority is children and very old people caught in the crossfire," he said.

There may be two, three or five people who are combatants but the overall majority is children and very old people caught in the crossfire Minister MLAM Hisbullah

The ICRC ferried over 755 patients to the east, said the minister.

"The first ICRC ferry brought 368 injured and another 396 patients were transferred in the second ferry," he told BBC Sinhala service.

Surgeries are being conducted for nearly 300 patients and almost twenty five percent of those transferred have only sustained minor injuries, he added.

The minister added that many injured civilians have been transferred to hospitals in Polonnaruwa, Kantale, Thamuththegama and to St. Methodist College.

50 people with minor injuries are being transferred to IDP camps in Vavuniya.