'Hundreds flee' Sri Lanka war zone

At least 2,000 ethnic Tamil civilians have escaped Sri Lanka’s northern war zone, the country's military has said, amid fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.The civilians on Thursday waded across a lagoon while under fire from fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, Sri Lanka's military spokesman, said.Four civilians were killed and 14 hurt as they attempted to cross the lagoon, which is currently a barrier between army forces and the LTTE, he said.It is impossible to independently assess the military's claims as it has blocked independent access to the conflict zone.The LTTE have denied accusations by the military that civilians inside the war zone are being held as human shields and that they have opened fire on those trying to flee.The Red Cross on Thursday sent a ferry to the battle zone in an effort to deliver food aid and to evacuate the wounded, but it could not reach the coastline due to the continuing violence."The situation is becoming desperate because of the fighting, which is intense and uninterrupted," Sarasi Wijeratne, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.