A high ranking LTTE woman sea cadre carrying cyanide was identified by the Pulmodai Police upon questioning a group of 32 civilians rescued off the coast of Nayaru yesterday, the Police Spokesman said. Three civilians died of their injuries at Trincomalee Hospital yesterday.

The sea cadre was taken under Pulmodai Police Custody at 1 p.m. yesterday and is now being investigated.

Sri Lanka Navy had rescued the 31 civilians fleeing the LTTE in two fibre glass dinghies on Monday (2). According to Defence Ministry website the group of 17 adults (eight males and nine females) and 14 children had fled Puthumathalan under cover of darkness and had been moving secretly away from the LTTE when the naval vessel rescued them. The civilians who had been hugging the bottom of the boat while escaping were then brought ashore at Pulmudai and provided with food.

Naval personnel and vessels along with stand-by rescue and medical teams are on special deployment for humanitarian assistance missions in the north-eastern seas according to Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunesekera.

In the meantime, according to defence sources, two women and one man brought into the Trincomalee Government Hospital yesterday died due to injuries received while fleeing the LTTE. They were among the 157 civilians onboard ‘Seruvila 2’ evacuated from LTTE held areas in Mullaitivu and brought for treatment in the Trincomalee Government Hospital yesterday.