Sri Lanka news: Five British citizens among more than 200 killed after eight explosions hit churches and hotels
Security officials arrest 13 suspects over Easter Sunday violence
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Your support makes all the difference.More than 200 people have been killed and hundreds more injured after eight bombs were detonated at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
Ruwan Wijewardena, the country’s defence minister, described the blasts as terrorist attacks by religious extremists, though no group has claimed responsibility for the violence.
Most of the explosions are believed to have been suicide bombings, which occurred at sites mainly in and around the capital of Colombo.
Officials said that 13 suspects had been arrested in connection to the attacks.
Three police officers were also killed while carrying out a security raid at a suspected safe house several hours after the blasts occurred.
The majority of the victims are Sri Lankan but several citizens of other countries were also killed.
At least five British citizens lost their lives in the attacks.
Citizens from the US, Turkey, Denmark, China and Portugal were also among the dead.
The Sri Lankan government has declared a dawn-to-dusk curfew in Colombo and blocked access to social media and messaging sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp.
It is unclear when the curfew will be lifted.
Additional reporting by agencies
If you would like to read about the aftermath of the attacks please see what was our live coverage below:
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the attacks as “cruel and cynical”.
In a telegram of condolences sent to his Sri Lankan counterpart, the Russian leader said Moscow remains a “reliable partner of Sri Lanka in the fight against international terrorism”.
He added that the Russians “share the grief of the relatives of those killed and wish a quick recovery to all those who were wounded”.
Mr Putin voiced confidence that “the perpetrators and the masterminds of such a cruel and cynical crime committed amid the Easter festivities will take the punishment they deserve”.
The Indian foreign ministry has released a statement condemning the attacks.
“India has always opposed and rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and has urged concerted action by the international community against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. There can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terror.
“We call for perpetrators of such ghastly and heinous act and those who provide them support to be brought to justice expeditiously. We stand together with the people and Government of Sri Lanka in this hour of grief.”
The Sri Lanka government has said it has shutdown access to social media and messaging services. It has also declared a nationwide curfew, from 6pm to 6am local time.
“A curfew will be imposed until things settle down,” junior defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene told reporters in Colombo.
Sri Lankan media organisations are reporting that the eighth explosion has occurred at a housing complex in Dematagoda, a suburb of the capital Colombo.
More details on the seventh bombing in Dehiwela, on the outskirts of Colombo. “There was an explosion in a hotel in Dehiwela near the zoo,” a police official told Reuters.
Two people reportedly died in the attack. A witness told local TV he saw some body parts, including a severed head, lying on the ground near the hotel. Officials declared the zoo closed after the blast.
British tourist Julian Emmanuel – staying at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo with his family when the explosion took place – has spoken about the ordeal.
He told the BBC: “We were in our room and heard a large explosion. It woke us up. There were ambulances, fire crews, police sirens.
“I came out of the room to see what’s happening, we were ushered downstairs.
“We were told there had been a bomb. Staff said some people were killed. One member of staff told me it was a suicide bomber.”
Security personnel outside the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo (EPA)
Sri Lankan defence minister Ruwan Wijewardane has said the culprits behind the Easter Sunday bombings had been “identified”.
“We will take all necessary action against any extremist group that is operating in our country. We shall not give any chance for these extremist groups to operate and do what they have been doing in the past few days. We will take the necessary actions. We will go after them whatever religious extremism they are following.”
He added: “We believe that all the culprits who have been involved in this unfortunate terrorist incident will be taken into custody as soon as possible. They have been identified.”
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