A group of 26 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees housed in various camps across the State left for their homeland from the international airport Tiruchirappalli on Tuesday.

The refugees were staying in camps at Erode, Salem, Tiruchi, Karur and Coimbatore.

Of them, 14 refugees were staying in a camp at Salem.

Airport sources said the 26 refugees who had been staying in camps for several years arrived at the Tiruchi airport and left by the morning Sri Lankan Airlines flight to Colombo.

The refugees returned to their homeland after the State government granted them permission, the sources said.

(THEHINDU)