Sri Lanka bombings: 156 killed, 400 injured as explosions rock Catholic churches during Easter service
Colombo: Sri Lankan police on Sunday reported there had been a seventh explosion, the fourth at a hotel, following six reported at hotels and churches earlier in the day that killed nearly 160 people.
The Easter Day bomb blasts at three churches and four luxury hotels have killed at least 156 people and wounded more than 400, hospital and police officials said.
Three of the near-simultaneous explosions hit Catholic churches where Easter services were underway while three other explosions were reported in five-star hotels, according to police.
A seventh blast is also being reported in Dehiwela, near Colombo.
Thirty-five foreigners were among the dead, the officials said.
The latest explosion to be reported was at a hotel near the national zoo, which is in an area near the capital Colombo. "There was an explosion in a hotel in Dehiwela near the zoo," a police official told Reuters adding that there were no further details available.
Two of the blasts were suspected to have been carried out by suicide bombers, according to a security official in Colombo, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks in a country which was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009 during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.
More than 50 people were killed in St Sebastian's gothic-style Catholic church in Katuwapitiya, north of the capital Colombo, a police official said, with pictures showing bodies on the ground, blood on the pews and a destroyed roof.
Local media reported 25 people were also killed in an attack on an evangelical church in Batticaloa in Eastern Province, 250 kilometres east of the capital.
The three hotels hit were the Shangri-La Colombo, Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo and the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. It was unclear whether there were any casualties in the hotels.
The first blast yesterday was reported in a church located in the capital. The others followed within half an hour.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said that the injured were being evacuated while security forces have cordoned off the areas and search operations are underway.
The injured included foreigners staying at the three five-star hotels – the Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Shangri-La in the heart of Colombo.
Security in the capital and the airport has been stepped up following the blasts.
A source in the police bomb squad said that one of the explosions was at St Anthony's Shrine in Kochcikade, Colombo, which is a tourist landmark.
Alex Agieleson, who was near the shrine, said buildings shook with the blast, and that a number of injured people were carried away in ambulances.
St Sebastian's posted pictures of destruction inside the church on its Facebook page, showing blood on pews and the floor, and requested help from the public.
"Our people are engaged in evacuating the casualties," the source said.
Local TV showed damage at the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and Kingsbury hotels.
The Shangri-La's second-floor restaurant was gutted in the blast, with the ceiling and windows blown out. Loose wires hung and tables were overturned in the blackened space.
A police magistrate was at the hotel to inspect the bodies recovered from the restaurant. From outside the police cordon, several bodies could be seen covered in white sheets.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks in a country which was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009 during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.
Christian groups say they have faced increasing intimidation from some extremist Buddhist monks in recent years. And last year, there were clashes between the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community and minority Muslims, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called a national security council meeting at his home for later in the day.
"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," he said in a Tweet.
"Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation."
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.
It was the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war a decade ago. The magnitude of the bloodshed recalled the random bombings perpetrated by the separatist Tamil Tigers that targeted a bank, a shopping mall, a Buddhist temple and hotels popular with tourists.
AP, Reuters, McClatchy