An attack believed to have been carried out by Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels on a Chinese fishing trawler off the east coast of Sri Lanka had left at least 14 killed, defense officials said Friday.
The trawler Ufauan-u 225 with a 26-member crew was sunk after it had come under rocket propelled grenade attacks by the Tamil rebels in the early hours of Thursday, 16 nautical miles east off Chundikulam, navy officials said.
A navy official, who did not want to be named, said nine of the crew members were rescued by a second trawler in the area, Ufauan-u 226, which had not come under attack.
Among those rescued were a Sri Lankan and eight Chinese. They have been admitted to the hospital in the eastern port city of Trincomalee.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which has worked as international truce monitors, has been informed of the incident, navy officials said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2003)
