138 killed in explosions at churches, hotels in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, 138 people have been killed and more than 400 others injured in explosions in Colombo.Nine foreigners were among the dead in six explosions at three churches and as many hotels in the capital. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called a national security council meeting and called upon all Sri Lankans to remain united and strong at this tragic time.

At least seven blasts were reported. Three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district were targeted during Easter services.

The Shangri-La, Kingsbury, Cinnamon Grand and a fourth hotel, all in Colombo, were also hit.Easter Sunday is one of the major feasts in the Christian calendar.St Sebastian’s church in Negombo was severely damaged, with a shattered ceiling and blood on the pews. At least 67 people are reported to have died there.There were heavy casualties too at the site of the first blast in St Anthony’s, a hugely popular shrine in Kochchikade, a district of Colombo.

Priests at St Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade, one of the churches targeted. A hotel official at the Cinnamon Grand, near the prime minister’s official residence, told the explosion there had ripped through a restaurant, killing at least one person. A seventh explosion was later reported at a hotel near the zoo in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, with police sources reporting two deaths.

News is coming in of a possible eighth explosion, in the Colombo district of Dematagoda, but this has not yet been confirmed.Colombo resident Usman Ali told there were massive queues as he joined people trying to donate blood.He said: “Everyone had just one intention and that was to help the victims of the blast, no matter what religion or race they may be. Each person was helping another out in filling forms.”

Overwhelming response at National Blood Centre. It’s so overcrowded they cannot control the crowd. Currently they are sending back people who have come after taking down name, contact and blood group. Don’t rush there now go leisurely as the crowd subsides #LKA

Rumours have been reported of more attacks and police have told people to stay inside their houses and remain calm. But there is some element of panic.There is a heavy military presence in front of all major state buildings. No-one was expecting this, it was a peaceful Sunday morning – everyone was going to Easter prayers.I’ve spoken to several priests who were in the church and they were really shocked, as were the police officers.

It was a well-planned, co-ordinated attack but I spoke to the security chief who was there and officials believe it’s too early to say who is behind it. After the Tamil Tigers were defeated in 2009, Sri Lanka hasn’t really seen this kind of incident.

President Maithripala Sirisena has issued a statement calling for people to remain calm and support the authorities in their investigations.PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is chairing an emergency meeting. He said: “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.”

On Twitter, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the attacks appeared to be a “well-co-ordinated attempt to create murder, mayhem and anarchy” and had killed “many innocent people”.Another minister, Harsha de Silva, described “horrible scenes” at St Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade, saying he had seen “many body parts strewn all over”.

Cardinal Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Ranjith, told: “It’s a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such a thing to happen and especially on Easter Sunday.”UK PM Theresa May tweeted condolences, saying the “acts of violence against churches and hotels in Sri Lanka are truly appalling”.

In the years since the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009, there has been some sporadic violence, with members of the majority Buddhist Sinhala community attacking mosques and Muslim-owned properties. That led to a state of emergency being declared in March 2018.

The civil war ended with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for the minority ethnic Tamils. The war is thought to have killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people.