Separatist Tamil Tiger fighters have shot at injured civilians fleeing fighting in Sri Lanka's northern war zone, witnesses who have escaped the island have said.
Among them was Sister Mary Colostica, a 74-year-old Catholic nun, who told how she and five other nuns shepherded more than 2,000 civilians from village to village as they tried to escape fighting and shelling, searching for what food they could find..
The alleged attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) came as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) tried to evacuate sick and wounded people by boat from Puttumatalan, a rebel-held village.
"When we tried to escape with civilians, LTTE fired at me. I got shot in my leg," sister Louise, a Catholic nun who tried to steer civilians away from the fighting, said on Thursday.
The ICRC said it managed to ferry out 240 sick and injured people from Puttumatalan.
Exclusive footage broadcast by Al Jazeera on Thursday showed people attempting to flee the island with the help of the aid organisation.
The ICRC said the deaths of 16 patients by artillery fire three days ago highlighted the dangers faced by civilians in the war zone.