Geneva  - A water technician for the International Committee of the Red Cross was killed in shelling Wednesday morning while trying to fetch water for his family in coastal belt held by the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Paul Castella, the head of the ICRC delegation in Colombo, said he was "devastated" by the death of Sinnathurai Kugathasan who was married with three children.

It was unclear whether government forces or rebels fired the shell.

Kugathasan had worked for the ICRC since 2002 and had recently been involved in the medical evacuation from the battle zone.

Another ICRC water technician was killed last month in a similar attack. Other aid agencies have also reported that attacks have killed or injured their staff members in northern Sri Lanka.

Some 150,000 people are said to be inside the enclave along the coast.

The ICRC said it would continue its activities in Sri Lanka. (dpa)