Shelling of the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu

This church, considered to be the most sacred Catholic shrine in Sri Lanka, was shelled during an exchange of fire between the LTTE and the SLA, on November 20 1999, resulting in the deaths of 40 Tamil IDPs, including 16 children, and the injury of 60 other IDPs. Both parties involved have blamed the other for this carnage. The church and surrounding grounds was a refuge for IDPs on several occasions. At the end of 1999, there were around 17,000 IDPs living there.