Thousands of refugees stranded in Sri Lanka's northeast

Thousands of civilians have been trapped by fighting in Sri Lanka’s northeast, and the most desperate among them have started walking through the forests to escape the battles, a Red Cross official said today.

Some 6,000 to 7,000 families were trying to get out of Muttur, the seaside town that has been the focus of the worst fighting, said Yvonne Dunton, Trincomalee head of the International Committee of the Red Cross.