Schools in Kilinochchi closed last week after a Sri Lanka Air Force bombing narrowly missed a primary school, forcing parents, children and teachers to flee to bunkers.
790 schoolchildren and 22 teachers at the Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam school narrowly escaped as four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets dropped bombs barely 100 meters away from their school in the Kilinochchi suburbs Thursday morning.
Terror gripped the town as more than 5000 students from the five schools in Kilinochchi (Central College, Kilinochchi Maha Viththiyaalayam, Mother Teresa Girls College, Kilinochchi Hindu College and Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam) started fleeing to save their lives.
On Friday, two schools closed completely, while in the other three, students failed to show up. Many students chose to stay home near bunkers fearing another SLAF bombing raid.
A repeat of the gruesome Chenchoalai massacre was avoided as civilians sought shelter inside bunkers and managed to flee the area. One civilian was killed and seven wounded in the air strike.
Tiger anti-aircraft gunners rushed to the spot and started firing, which ensured that SLAF bombers stopped with two rounds of bombing.
Three more attempts of pinpoint dive bombing had to be aborted by the SLAF because of this immediate intervention.
Kankapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam, which has more than 1123 students, remained closed until Tuesday.
The principal of Kilinochchi Mahaviththiyalayam, Mr. Sritharan said that his school was closed until Monday. Mr Sritharan added that there is no space near the school to construct bunkers for the more than 2200 students attending his school.
Anxious mothers in the settlement were seen running helter-skelter as the bombs started to target their houses.
Six homes were reduced to rubble in the aerial attack. Nine more houses sustained heavy damages. More than 15 families were displaced and left without shelter as a result of the bombing.
Passer-by vehicles and NGO vans were seen helping residents who were fleeing to escape the SLAF bombardment. Private and public offices and shops were closed in the town.
