Five Sailors injured in Tiger air raid transferred to CNH

Rafik JALALDEEN

TRINCOMALEE: Five sailors critically injured following the LTTE air raid on Tuesday night were transferred to the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) yesterday morning.

CNH Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe said five Naval troops were brought to the CNH for treatment from Trincomalee hospital.

“The five were critically injured and are under going operations,” Dr. Weerasinghe told the Daily News.

An LTTE light aircraft had dropped two improvised bombs at the Trincomalee Naval dockyard on Tuesday around 9.15 pm and fled the area following retaliatory action by the Security Forces, Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

“The LTTE abortive air raid targeting the Naval dockyard in Trincomalee was successfully thwarted by the Security Force. Ten sailors who sustained injuries in the attack were admitted to the Trincomalee hospital,” the Brigadier added. He said following the detection of the LTTE light aircraft, the Anti-Aircraft Unit launched a heavy attack and the LTTE aircraft fled the area. “One bomb was dropped in a jungle patch in the dockyard area and the other near the dockyard premises. No damages to property was reported to the dockyard following the LTTE air raid,” he added.

He said the target may have been the Trincomalee dockyard or vessels. However, he said a Jet Liner vessel carrying food to Jaffna was anchored at the time of the LTTE air raid.