Sri Lanka Blasts: SL President Maithripala Sirisena to Declare Emergency From Midnight
The emergency will be imposed following a series of blasts that took place on Easter Sunday across Sri Lanka.
Colombo, April 22: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will declare a nation-wide emergency from Monday midnight. The emergency will be imposed following a series of blasts that took place on Easter Sunday across Sri Lanka. The suicide bombers responsible for the country's bloodiest attacks in a decade are Sri Lankan nationals, said the government. The bombers are suspected to be associated with radical outfit Thowheed Jamath.
Suicide bombers triggered as many as eight blasts on Sunday targeting luxury hotels and Catholic churches in Colombo and other parts of the island nation. The first explosion took place in the morning in three luxury hotels in Colombo and in a church each in Colombo, Negombo, and in the Tamil-majority Batticaloa town. As authorities rushed for rescue, seven other explosions ripped through churches and luxury hotels in other parts. Sri Lanka Bomb Blasts: MEA Reveals Names of Indian Nationals Killed in Suicide Bombings.
The death toll in the attacks mounted to 290, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said on Monday. At least 32 foreigners were among the dead killed and another 30 have been hospitalized. The funeral will be held on Tuesday at the Katuwapitya church in Negombo, a few kilometres to the north of Colombo, Efe news reported.
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Some 24 people have been arrested in connection with the bombings, which are yet to be claimed by any group and can damage the tourism sector in the island country.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2019 02:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).