Due to offensives of the Sri Lankan military on Mannar in 2007, people from Silavaththurai began fleeing their homes. One van carrying 13 fleeing civilians came under the claymore attack of the Sri Lankan military on 2 September.
Since the attack took place in the middle of military clashes the bodies of the victims were not removed for two days. The decomposing bodies were eventually removed by the ICRC and brought to Mannar hospital. Among the victims was a father, mother and their four-year-old son. Just three weeks later, on 26 September, Father Nicholas Pillai Pakiaranjith, was killed in a similar claymore attack, near the same area while he was transporting food for the refugees who have swelled in numbers as the attacks intensified. His assistant was also killed. Available
names of victims (name, age)
1. Jesuthasan Eliszabeth, 42
2. Jeyaraj Oskar, 20
3. Krishnapalan, 25
4. Maniyam Jeyaraj, 50
5. Mrs Johns
6. Nakamuththu Saroja, 60
7. Pukenthiran
8. Puvi Suvetha, 4
9. Selvakumar, 24
10. Selvakumar Prinsy, 25
11. Selvarasa Rakulan, 4