Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St. Anthony’s Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
April 21, 2019
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Two Sri Lankan churches and two hotels were hit by explosions on Easter Sunday, wounding several people, police sources said.
The hotels and one of the churches are in the nation’s capital Colombo. The other church is in Negombo, north of Colombo.
A source in the police bomb squad said that one of the explosions was at St Anthony’s Church in Kochcikade, Colombo. “Our people are engaged in evacuating the casualties,” the source said.
Sources from two leading tourist hotels in Colombo also confirmed the explosions but did not give any details.
Colombo National hospital said several wounded had been brought in for treatment.
St. Sebastian’s church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo posted pictures of destruction inside the church on its Facebook page, showing blood on pews and the floor, and requested help from the public.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility.
(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Edited by Martin Howell)
