Colombo, (IANS): The toll in a massacre by suspected Tamil Tigers cadres in a predominantly Sinhalese village in eastern Sri Lanka Saturday has risen to 21 with over 20 more wounded, the defence ministry said Sunday.

'According to latest reports received, the death toll in the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) village massacre at Kirimetiya has risen to 21, while over 20 others, including children, have suffered serious injuries,' the defence ministry said. 

It said a group of LTTE cadres had stormed into the Kirimetiya village in Iginiyagala Saturday evening and opened indiscriminate small arms fire at civilians who were mainly cultivators. 

Kirimetiya is a predominantly Sinhalese village on the Bibila-Ampara main road. 

The injured civilians have been evacuated to the general hospital at Ampara while the army and the Special Task Force personnel were continuing with cordon and search operations to hunt down the perpetrators. 

There was no word in this regard from the LTTE, who have now been cornered into a mere 73 sq km area in the north-eastern Mullaitivu district by the advancing government troops. 

Indo Asian News Service

Courtesy: yahoo.com