Eight blasts rock Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, 156 killed
Colombo, Apr 21 (IBNS): At least 156 people were killed as eight blasts rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday, disrupting peace in the nation which was once hit by civil wars.
The death toll is likely to rise as some media reports already put the figure to 190.
A total of eight blasts have been reported from the Island Nation which was celebrating Easter Sunday and left at least 300 people injured.
On the seventh blast, CNN said that multiple sources are reporting another explosion at a hotel in front of the Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, 20 minutes outside of Colombo.
The country had mostly witnessed peaceful situation for the past couple of years since the civil wars ended around 10 years ago.
Blasts were reported from three churches and several other hotels in the city.
The churches were identified as St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian's church in the nearby city of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern city of Batticaloa.
The first blast occurred at 8.45 am in St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade and the other at St Sebestian's Church in Katuwapitiya, Katana.
Shortly after those blasts were reported, police confirmed three hotels in the capital had also been hit, along with a church in the town of Batticalao, in the east of the country.
The police said explosions also occurred at Shangri-La Hotel and Kingsbury Hotel in the capital.
As per initial reports the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals. The dead included foreigners, a minister said.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe urged all to remain united and strong and not be swayed by speculations or unverified reports. The Sri Lankan government headed by Wickremesinghe will hold an emergency meeting.
I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.
— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) April 21, 2019
Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution Harsha deSilva said: "Horrible scenes. I saw many body parts strewn all over. Emergency crews are at all locations in full force. We, at 1990 also have close to 20 units at the various locations. We took multiple casualties to hospital. Hopefully saved many lives."
Police in Sri Lanka will impose an island-wide curfew starting Sunday from 6pm local (8:30aET Sunday), finishing at 6am local (8:30pET Sunday) on Monday morning, according to the President's Secretary, Udaya R. Seneviratne, reported CNN.
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