Hundreds of Tamil civilians fleeing the war zone walked listlessly as they arrived at Pudukudiyyurippu village, once a vital supply line of the Tamil Tigers, which now bears witness to the imminent defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after a 25-year-old battle.
Soon after their arrival in Pudukudiyyurippu, the civilians, who have crossed over with horrific tales of war and destruction, were moved to a temporary shelter after being given refreshments.
Fleeing Tamil civilians, who were trapped in the war-zone for many a months, spoke of their ordeal to a group of visiting foreign journalists to this last town held by the Tamil Tigers, who once controlled majority of the areas in northern Sri Lanka.
Image: A soldier watches civilians, some of the more than 100,000 that have fled the area held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, walk down a road towards a temporary refugee camp in the town of Putumatalan located near the 'No Fire Zone' in northern Sri Lanka.
Text: T V Sriram/PTI | Photograph: David Gray/Reuters
Also see: Images: Civilians flee Lankan war zone