Sri Lanka Church Bombings Kill over 200
Sri Lanka Church Bombings Kill over 200
Follow @KnightsTempOrgAt least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in a series of bomb blasts that hit churches and hotels across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
The entire country is in a state of lock-down.
The first wave of attacks struck at the heart of the country's minority Christian community during busy Easter services at churches in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on Sunday morning.
Additional blasts ripped through three high-end hotels, the Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury, all in capital city Colombo.
Here's the full list of blast sites reported so far:
- St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade
- St Sebastian's Church, Negombo
- Zion Church, Batticaloa
- Cinnamon Grand, Colombo
- Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo
- The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo
- Near Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
- A house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda
Sri Lanka's Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution Harsha de Silva said on Twitter that "close to 30 foreigners" were killed on Sunday. In the capital, Colombo, at least 20 foreigners are among the dead, according to hospital Director General Anil Jasinghe. Hospitals have opened their doors to scores of victims.
Two Turkish citizens and one Dutch national are among the dead. The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, James Dauris, said some British citizens were also "caught in the blast." Seven people are under arrest following the attacks.
Sri Lanka's minority Christian community appeared to be the main target of Sunday's attack. Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka, accounting for less than 10% of the total population of 21.4 million.
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