Colombo - The army advanced into the last Tamil rebel strongholds in northern Sri Lanka as local and international concern about civilian casualties heightened Tuesday.

Fighting was reported from the Mullaitivu district, including an area surrounding a government hospital located in Pudukudirippu, 385 kilometres north-east of the capital where shelling was reported over the past two days.

Colombo, Feb3 : The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry declared on Tuesday that its troops have captured a two-storey deep underground bunker complex believed to have been occupied by Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The bunker was found in a coconut plantation in Mullaittivu District and has electricity generators, air conditioning and medical supplies.

Twenty rebels died while trying to defend the bunker.

However, there was no sign of Prabhakaran''s presence. The military believes that he has fled from the island by boat.

Chennai/Colombo, Feb. 2 : Tamil Nadu and South Zone fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji has been recalled to the Indian team. He will replace Munaf Patel in the squad that is playing an ODI series in Sri Lanka.

Munaf sustained a groin injury and was forced to return home after the second ODI.

A cricinfo report said that Balaji last played for India in an ODI in 2005 in Sri Lanka before a stress fracture forced him out of the game.

Colombo  - International aid officials expressed concern Monday about artillery bombardments that hit a hospital in a Tamil rebel-controlled area in northern Sri Lanka and killed at least eight people.

UNICEF spokesman James Elder said the organization confirmed that the hospital in Pudukudirippu, 385 kilometres north-east of Colombo, had been shelled twice Sunday night.

Colombo  -  warned ambassadors, news agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to act "with responsibility" as security forces were set to defeat the Tamil rebels.

In an interview with the Sunday Island newspaper, Rajapaksa warned that those acting irresponsibly will face "dire consequences" if they "attempt to give the LTTE terrorists a second breath of life".

Colombo  - The government will maintain a "safe zone" for civilians fleeing the fighting between security forces and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka, a military spokesman said Sunday.

The announcement came as a 48-hour deadline for Tamil rebels to allow civilians to leave conflict areas and enter army-controlled zones under safe passage lapsed Saturday night, with only about 100 civilians making use of the opportunity.