The Sri Lanka Easter blasts has killed 160 people so far in churches and hotel and also left many others severely wounded.
Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo has been hit by at least two new blasts, hours after the country was struck by a series of six bombings on churches and hotels. The seventh explosions occurred at a hotel near the national zoo in the capital, killing at least two more people, police said, while an eighth blast hit the suburb of Orugodawatta in the north of Colombo. There were no further details on what was targeted, police said.
Most victims of the Sri Lanka Easter Blasts were killed in three churches where worshippers were attending Easter Sunday services. Three other bombings struck luxury hotels – the Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Shangri-La – located in the heart of Colombo, killing at least 35 foreigners.
The first explosion was reported in a church located in the capital. The other blasts followed within half an hour. One of the churches targeted was St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo. The other two were St Sebastian’s in Negombo, about 30km from the capital and another in Batticaloa, 250km east of the capital.
These are the first major attacks since the end of the civil war 10 years ago. According to local reports, the blasts in hotels and churches in different parts of the country occurred at around 8.45 am (local time) as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress in churches.
