Dying without treatment

Channel 4 News has obtained an audio recording from a doctor in Sri Lanka describing the situation within the conflict area, saying that dead bodies are being left to lie where they fall in his hospital.

An audio recording obtained from the British Tamil Forum with a doctor in Sri Lanka said:

"The situation here is there is a big fight going on, we heard a lot of firing going on, there's a lot of shells falling in the civilian area."

He then describes that there are apparently 2,000 causaulties in the hospital, but the heavy fighting appears to have driven staff underground.

"Patients coming to the hospital can't get any medicine. We can't do anything. There are a lot of people staying in the hospital without proper treatment. They are dying without proper treatment. "

"There are dead bodies on the floor. We are unable to bury the dead bodies or clear them."

Medical Superintendent Dr. Shanmugarajah who was attending the wounded at the makeshift hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal junior school, his family, Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) doctors, Dr Varatharajah and Dr Sathiyamoorthy, and three other doctor,s have entered the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled checkpoint at Omanthai. Dr Varatharajah has been seriously wounded during his passage out of the Safety Zone, and reports from Vanni say, he has been air-lifted for medical treatment. His whereabouts are not known.

Additional Government Agent, K. Parthipan, who also left the Safety Zone, has been transferred to the Internment camp in Vavuniyaa by the SLA, informed sources from Colombo said.

The other doctors have been detained at the Omanthai checkpoint and are being interrogated by the SLA.

The volunteer medics still remaining in the Safety Zone are unable to provide any effective treatment, without adequate medicine or medical facilities, to the 2000+ civilians severely injured still remaining within the zone in the temporary hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal east.