Ceasefire urged as 52 killed in Sri Lanka war zone

At least 52 civilians were killed by shelling in Sri Lankan's northern war zone, the United Nations said on Wednesday, while a crowded hospital was hit again and Britain and the United States urged a cease-fire.
"There were 52 killed and 80 wounded from one sector," said U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss, referring to the area of Suthanthirapuramin. "That was like a snapshot of the war zone."
Weiss said he did not know who was responsible for shelling.
Sri Lanka's military has encircled the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and is confident it will soon win a war that is one of Asia's longest-running conflicts. Some 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 1983.
The United States and Britain want a cease-fire so casualties can be evacuated and relief supplies allowed into the war zone.
The Tigers are holding out in a 300-sq km (115-sq mile) slice of jungle in Sri Lanka's northeast. Aid agencies say 250,000 people are trapped in Tiger-held areas, but the government says the number is about half that.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the only hospital in the war zone was evacuated after it was hit for a fifth time in three days. The ICRC says at least 12 people have been killed in the hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu.
"We are shocked that a medical facility has again sustained direct hits. We have grave concerns for the well-being and safety of those who fled," the head of the ICRC's Colombo delegation, Paul Castella, said in a statement.
At least 52 civilians were killed by shelling in Sri Lankan's northern war zone, the United Nations said on Wednesday, while a crowded hospital was hit again and Britain and the United States urged a cease-fire.
"There were 52 killed and 80 wounded from one sector," said U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss, referring to the area of Suthanthirapuramin. "That was like a snapshot of the war zone."
Weiss said he did not know who was responsible for shelling.
Sri Lanka's military has encircled the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and is confident it will soon win a war that is one of Asia's longest-running conflicts. Some 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 1983.
The United States and Britain want a cease-fire so casualties can be evacuated and relief supplies allowed into the war zone.
The Tigers are holding out in a 300-sq km (115-sq mile) slice of jungle in Sri Lanka's northeast. Aid agencies say 250,000 people are trapped in Tiger-held areas, but the government says the number is about half that.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the only hospital in the war zone was evacuated after it was hit for a fifth time in three days. The ICRC says at least 12 people have been killed in the hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu.
"We are shocked that a medical facility has again sustained direct hits. We have grave concerns for the well-being and safety of those who fled," the head of the ICRC's Colombo delegation, Paul Castella, said in a statement.
Our troops were able to carry forward the battle against terror with great care so as not to cause harassment to the innocent Tamil people," he said.