Over 20 dead, 280 injured in multiple explosions in Sri Lanka on Easter
Police said the blasts hit churches in the north of the capital and in the town of Negombo, just outside Colombo.
world Updated: Apr 21, 2019 11:00 ISTExplosions have hit three churches and three hotels in and around the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, police said Sunday.
The blasts hit several high-end hotels and one church in the capital, while two additional churches were targeted outside Colombo, police said. There were initial reports of at least 80 people injured in the capital.
There were bomb explosions at a church in a suburb of Colombo, and another north of the city’s airport, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
Police and emergency vehicles have blocked the entrance to the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, where there’s visible damage, including shattered windows, above the main entrance where a cafe was located.
The first blast ripped through St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo. 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.
First Published: Apr 21, 2019 10:00 IST