(KUNA) -- In one of the biggest casualties in recent times, as many as 45 Tamil civilians and four soldiers were killed in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the Tamil rebels Thursday. The civilians died in military strikes in villages near a disputed canal in Northeastern Sri Lanka Thursday, news agency Indo-Asian News Service reported from capital Colombo. The soldiers were also killed in an encounter with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) near the canal Thursday, the news agency reported.On Thursday when Sri Lankan soldiers made an attempt to strengthen their position, they came under attack. The closure of the sluice gate of the irrigation canal in Northeastern Sri Lanka deprived about 15,000 farming families of water. It was opened Tuesday night. More than 300 LTTE cadres, government troops and civilians have been killed during the attacks and counter attacks in the area during the past two weeks, according to the news agency.