Hundreds awaiting evacuation in Sri Lanka

HUNDREDS who fled intense fighting in Sri Lanka’s war zone were awaiting evacuation from this tiny coastal village yesterday as the UN reported that nearly 6,500 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed in the past three months.

Speaking to journalists on a rare visit to the edge of the war zone, civilians told of Tamil Tiger rebels using them as human shields.

Conditions “were terrible as we did not have anything to eat. We thought it’s better to flee”, said Rajeshwarai, 40, who gave only her first name.