Sri Lanka was gripped by terror on Easter Sunday when a series of coordinated blasts suspected to be carried out by an alleged terrorist outfit was reported from several countrywide churches and leading tourist hotels in Colombo since yesterday morning, claiming 310 lives and over 500 casualties.
he tragedy which came in the form of a string of explosions in six different locations occurred between 8.45 a.m – 9.30 a.m. was followed by two more blasts that reported in the afternoon, triggering the government to declare indefinite Police curfew and to keep the security forces with police in full alert.
Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said the series of blasts kicked off with the one that was reported from the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Kotahena around 8.45 a.m. that was followed by explosions at Zion Church in Batticaloa and St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya in Katana, where masses of unsuspecting Christian and Catholic devotees were attending to their Easter Sunday morning prayers in the respective churches.
No sooner the explosions went off in churches blasts were reported from three five star hotels of Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury, where guests including many foreigners were sitting down for their breakfast.
The baffled Police and security forces personnel who were rushing from one incident to another were supported by Fire Brigade Rescue Units, emergency ambulance services as well as the residents and thronging on lookers of each scene to carry the casualties to the nearest main hospital.
