Claymores destroy ambulance, kills 5

A doctor, his wife, two nurses and the driver of an ambulance belonging to Nedunkerni hospital, were killed on the night of August 8 when a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) attacked the ambulance with claymore fragmentation mines.

The next day a civilian bus with 75 passengers narrowly escaped another claymore attack 10 kilometres from the Nedunkerni ambush site. A medical vehicle that was following the bus was hit, but no one was wounded.

International truce monitors, returning from inspecting the Nedunkerni site, were within a kilometre of the bus when the second mine attack took place.

The attack on the ambulance occurred at Pandarakulam on the Nedunkerni - Oddusuddan Road.

The doctor, Kathirkamathamby Jeyamalina, 68, the only doctor in the Nedunkerni area, was returning with his crew and his wife to Nedunkerni hospital after admitting a pregnant mother at Puthukudiyiruppu hospital around 11:30 p.m.

The DPU attack killed Jeyamalina Ponnamma, the wife of the medical doctor, Rasalingam Gnaneswari, 22, a nurse, Jehananthan Nahuleswari, 37, nurse and mother of three, and the driver Kasupathy Gopalasundaram, 54, father of three.

Mr. Kathirkamathamby Jeyamalina succumbed to his wounds while he was being taken to Puthudiyiruppu hospital.

Three claymore mines were exploded in a row, throwing the ambulance 50 meters away. The attackers had taken position 15 meters from the explosion site. Pieces of wire and biscuits were recovered from a bush, Tamileelam Police said.

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