160 killed, over 450 injured as blasts hit churches, hotels in Colombo

Ambulances are seen outside the church premises with gathered people and security personnel following a blast at the St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo on April 21, 2019. Pic/AFP

Colombo: At least 160 people were killed and more than 450 others were injured after simultaneous blasts hit three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday around 8.45 am (local time) as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress in churches. The places are frequented by tourists.

The explosions were reported as hundreds of worshipers gathered at the St. Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, Kotahena, St. Sebastian's Church in Katuwapitiya in Katana, and the third one in Batticaloa to commemorate Easter Sunday. Three explosions were also reported from the five-star hotels, the Shangrila, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury.

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Sri Lankan security personnel keep watch outside the church premises following a blast at the St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade in Colombo on April 21, 2019

The Colombo National Hospital spokesperson, Dr. Samindi Samarakoon, said more than 300 people have been admitted with injuries. Dr. Kalanidhi Ganeshalingam, the spokesperson for the Batticaloa hospital, said over 100 have been admitted with injuries from St Michael's Church explosion. No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks.

However, most of the deadly attacks in the past in Sri Lanka were carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

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Sri Lanka Prime Minister condemned the attack in a tweet, and appealed to citizens to stay strong and united. "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. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation," he tweeted.

The Sri Lanka government has called an emergency meeting, the Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet. "Emergency meeting called in a few minutes. Rescue operations underway," he tweeted.

The Sri Lankan government has summoned an emergency meeting called. All necessary emergency steps have been taken by the government, a minister said, adding that an official statement will be issued soon. "Horrible scenes. I saw many body parts strewn all over. Emergency crews are at all locations in full force. We, at 1990 also have close to 20 units at the various locations. We took multiple casualties to hospital. Hopefully saved many lives," Harsha de Silva said.

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Ambulances are seen outside the church premises with gathered people and security personnel following a blast at the St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo on April 21, 2019. Pic/AFP

President Maithripala Sirisena has appealed for calm. "I have been shocked by this totally unexpected incidents. The security forces haven been asked to take all action necessary," Sirisena said.

As Colombo was rocked by a multiple explosions, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday that India was keeping a close watch on the situation. "Colombo - I am in constant touch with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo. We are keeping a close watch on the situation. @IndiainSL," Swaraj tweeted. The official handle of the High Commission of India in Colombo also said in a tweet that they were also "closely monitoring the situation". It also provided helpline numbers for "Indian citizens in need of assistance or help and for seeking clarification".

-with agency inputs

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