Multiple blasts hit Sri Lanka churches, hotels; at least 150 dead, hundreds injured
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— Prime minister condemns 'cowardly' attacks
COLOMBO: The death toll in a string of blasts targeting hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Sunday (Apr 21) has risen to 156, including 35 foreigners, a police official told AFP.
The police official said at least 45 people had been killed in Colombo, where three hotels and a church were hit.
Another 67 were killed in an attack on a church in Negombo north of the capital, with another 25 dead at a church in the town of Batticaloa, in the east of the country.
The first explosions were reported at St Anthony's Church in Colombo and St Sebastian's in the town of Negombo just outside the capital.
At least 160 people injured in the St Anthony's blast had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital by mid-morning, an official told AFP.
"A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there," read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo.
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.
At least one of the victims was killed in Colombo's Cinnamon Grand Hotel, near the prime minister's official residence, where the blast ripped through a restaurant, a hotel official told AFP.
An official at the Batticaloa hospital told AFP more than 300 people had been admitted with injuries following the blast there.
Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Apr 21, 2019.
President Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered the police special task force and military to investigate who was behind the attacks and their agenda.
The military had been deployed, according to a military spokesman, and security stepped up at Colombo's international airport.
"PM (Prime Minister) met with ministers and senior military personnel; all measures taken to maintain peace," Sri Lanka's Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet on his verified account.
"Security tightened. Please stay calm. Please act responsibly. Please no politics. We must all act together as Sri Lanka citizens. My condolences to all families who lost loved ones."
He said in another tweet he had been to two of the attacked hotels and was at the scene at St Anthony's Shrine, and described "horrible scenes."
"Please stay calm and indoors," he added.
Photos circulating on social media showed the roof of one church had been almost blown off in the blast.
The floor was littered with a mixture of roof tiles, splintered wood and blood.
Several people could be seen covered in blood, with some trying to help those with more serious injuries.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned a string of blasts that killed at least 137 people on Sunday (Apr 21) as "cowardly" and said the government was working to "contain the situation."
"I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today," he said in a tweet from his verified account.
"I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong... The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.
President Maithripala Sirisena in an address said he was shocked by the explosions and appealed for calm.
"Emergency meeting called in a few minutes. Rescue operations underway," Sri Lanka's Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet on his verified account.
He said he had been to two of the attacked hotels and was at the scene at St Anthony's Shrine, and described "horrible scenes."
"I saw many body parts strewn all over," he tweeted, adding that there were "many casualties including foreigners."
"Please stay calm and indoors," he added.
Source: AFP/mn
— Prime minister condemns 'cowardly' attacks
COLOMBO: The death toll in a string of blasts targeting hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Sunday (Apr 21) has risen to 156, including 35 foreigners, a police official told AFP.
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| Sri Lanka church blasts The aftermath of the blast at St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo. (Photo: Facebook@sebastianchurch150) |
The police official said at least 45 people had been killed in Colombo, where three hotels and a church were hit.
Another 67 were killed in an attack on a church in Negombo north of the capital, with another 25 dead at a church in the town of Batticaloa, in the east of the country.
The first explosions were reported at St Anthony's Church in Colombo and St Sebastian's in the town of Negombo just outside the capital.
At least 160 people injured in the St Anthony's blast had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital by mid-morning, an official told AFP.
"A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there," read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo.
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.
At least one of the victims was killed in Colombo's Cinnamon Grand Hotel, near the prime minister's official residence, where the blast ripped through a restaurant, a hotel official told AFP.
An official at the Batticaloa hospital told AFP more than 300 people had been admitted with injuries following the blast there.
Security tightened
:Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Apr 21, 2019.
President Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered the police special task force and military to investigate who was behind the attacks and their agenda.
The military had been deployed, according to a military spokesman, and security stepped up at Colombo's international airport.
"PM (Prime Minister) met with ministers and senior military personnel; all measures taken to maintain peace," Sri Lanka's Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet on his verified account.
"Security tightened. Please stay calm. Please act responsibly. Please no politics. We must all act together as Sri Lanka citizens. My condolences to all families who lost loved ones."
He said in another tweet he had been to two of the attacked hotels and was at the scene at St Anthony's Shrine, and described "horrible scenes."
"Please stay calm and indoors," he added.
Photos circulating on social media showed the roof of one church had been almost blown off in the blast.
The floor was littered with a mixture of roof tiles, splintered wood and blood.
Several people could be seen covered in blood, with some trying to help those with more serious injuries.
Prime minister condemns 'cowardly' attacks
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned a string of blasts that killed at least 137 people on Sunday (Apr 21) as "cowardly" and said the government was working to "contain the situation."
"I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today," he said in a tweet from his verified account.
"I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong... The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.
President Maithripala Sirisena in an address said he was shocked by the explosions and appealed for calm.
"Emergency meeting called in a few minutes. Rescue operations underway," Sri Lanka's Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet on his verified account.
He said he had been to two of the attacked hotels and was at the scene at St Anthony's Shrine, and described "horrible scenes."
"I saw many body parts strewn all over," he tweeted, adding that there were "many casualties including foreigners."
"Please stay calm and indoors," he added.
Source: AFP/mn
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