Sri Lanka: 16 patients killed in shelling of makeshift hospital

At least 16 patients being treated at a makeshift hospital in the northern Sri Lankan war zone were killed by shelling, the Red Cross said Tuesday, as the military accused rebel fighters of killing 19 other civilians fleeing the area.

The United Nations, meanwhile, said it was outraged by the “unnecessary” deaths of hundreds of people inside rebel territory and urged both sides to avoid fighting in civilian areas.

The government accuses the Tamil Tiger rebels of holding civilians hostage in the war zone to use as human shields against the military’s offensive. The rebels deny the accusation.

International human rights groups say more than 200,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the patch of territory still under rebel control.

Reports of civilian deaths have increased in recent weeks, and the Red Cross, the last major aid agency allowed to operate in rebel-held territory, said at least 16 patients were killed Monday in shelling near a community center in the town of Putumattalan, where medical workers had evacuated many sick and wounded civilians.

“We are shocked that patients are not afforded the protection they are entitled to,” said Paul Castella, head of the Sri Lankan delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Castella did not say who was behind the shelling.