Biodun.BBC: Colombo

Saturday, April 20, 2019

YET MORE UPDATES: Easter Day bomb blasts kill more than 20 in Sri Lankan churches, hotels

April 21, 2019 09H:14 GMT/ZULU

by Susan Kumar and Biodun Iginla, BBC News and Reuters, COLOMBO

COLOMBO - Easter Day bomb blasts at three Sri Lankan churches and three hotels killed more than 20 people and wounded nearly 300, a hospital official and police sources said.

Colombo National Hospital Director Samindi Samrakoon said she knew of at least 20 deaths and 280 people injured.

A police spokesman said that three churches and three hotels were hit.

At least two of the hotels and one of the churches are in the capital, Colombo. Another church is in Negombo, north of Colombo.

A source in the police bomb squad said that one of the explosions was at St Anthony’s Church in Kochcikade, Colombo.

“Our people are engaged in evacuating the casualties,” the source said.

St. Sebastian’s church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo posted pictures of destruction inside the church on its Facebook page, showing blood on pews and the floor, and requested help from the public.

Sources from two leading tourist hotels in Colombo also confirmed the explosions but did not give any details.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

MORE UPDATES: Multiple bomb blasts hit Sri Lankan churches on Easter Sunday

Latest update : 21/04/2019 - 09:16 GMT/ZULU

Dinuka Liyanawatte, REUTERS | Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019.

by Susan Kumar and Biodun Iginla, France24, Colombo

Explosions have hit churches and hotels in and around the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, police said Sunday, reporting multiple casualties.

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The blasts hit several high-end hotels and one church in the Sri Lankan capital, while two additional churches were targeted outside Colombo, police said.

There were initial reports of at least 80 people injured in the capital.

The first blast ripped through St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo.

Local witness Alex Agileson, who was in the vicinity, said buildings in the surrounding area shook with the blast. He said a number of injured were carried in ambulances.

A second explosion was reported at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, a Catholic majority town north of Colombo. The church has appealed for help on its Facebook page.

Police immediately rushed to both areas and sealed off the churches.