புலிகளின் பிரதேசத்தில் இருந்து ஆயிரக்கணக்காக மக்கள் வெளியேறி பாதுகாப்பான பிரதேசங்களுக்கு வந்துள்ளனர்.

புலிகளின் கட்டுப்பாட்டுப் பகுதியிலிருந்து எழுநூறுக்கு மேற்பட்டோர் இன்று (05) இராணுவக் கட்டுப்பாட்டுப் பகுதிகளான விஸ்வமடு மற்றும் தர்மபுரம் பிரதேசங்களுக்கு வந்துள்ளரென பாதுகாப்புக்கான ஊடக மத்திய நிலையம் தெரிவித்தது. இதேவேளை, நேற்று (04) 77 குடும்பங்களைச் சேர்ந்த 214 பேர் புலிகளின் கட்டுப்பாட்டுப் பிரதேசத்திலிருந்து ஓமந்தைக்கு வந்ததாகவும் ஊடக மத்திய நிலையம் மேலும் தெரிவித்தது.

At least 700 civilians cross to safety in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (Reuters) - At least 700 civilians fled Sri Lanka's northern war zone to a government-controlled area on Thursday, the military said, a day after the United Nations said 52 people had been killed by shelling.

Fighting continued as the army has closed in on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) holding out in a 300-sq km (115-sq mile) slice of jungle in the northeast, aiming to end one of Asia's longest-running conflicts.

"About 700 civilians had come to a military-controlled area today morning and many more are coming," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara.

Some 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting since the conflict began in 1983.

The United Nations said Wednesday at least 52 people were killed and 80 wounded by shelling in the war zone as the United States and Britain urged a cease-fire in Sri Lanka to evacuate casualties and allow relief into the war zone.

Aid agencies have expressed concern about 250,000 people trapped in Tiger-held areas, but the government says the number is about half that.

The government has urged civilians to enter a "safety zone" it had demarcated and said it will not be responsible for civilians who do not leave rebel-held areas.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday the only hospital, which is packed with patients, in the Tamil Tiger rebel-held area had been evacuated after being continuously shelled.

(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Sugita Katyal)