Toll in Sri Lanka blasts rises to 207, including 35 foreigners

Authored by english.alarabiya.net and submitted by iCespedes
image for Toll in Sri Lanka blasts rises to 207, including 35 foreigners

The toll in a string of blasts on Sunday at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka has risen to at least 207, including 35 foreigners, a police official told AFP.

A hospital source said Americans, British and Dutch citizens were among those killed in the six blasts, which also injured 450 others.

Meanwhile, a fresh blast hit a hotel in the capital Colombo, killing at least two people, a police spokesman said.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the blast hit a hotel in the southern Colombo suburb of Dehiwala.

It was the seventh attack to hit the country on Sunday.

Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets amid blast debris at St. Anthony's Shrine. (AFP)

The earlier six blasts targeted three Sri Lankan churches and three luxury hotels, wounding more than 450, hospital and police officials said, following a lull in major attacks since the end of the civil war 10 years ago, according to Reuters.

In just one church, St. Sebastian’s in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo, more than 50 people had been killed, a police official told Reuters, with pictures showing bodies on the ground, blood on the pews and a destroyed roof.

Media reported 25 people were also killed in an attack on a church in Batticaloa in Eastern Province.

The three hotels hit were the Shangri-La Colombo, Kingsbury Hotel and Cinnamon Grand Colombo. It was unclear whether there were any casualties in the hotels.

Nine foreigners were among the dead, the officials said.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks in a country which was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009 during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called a national security council meeting at his home for later in the day.

“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,” he said in a Tweet.

He added: “Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.”

One of the explosions was at St Anthony’s Church in Kochcikade, Colombo.

St. Sebastian’s church posted pictures of destruction inside the church on its Facebook page, showing blood on pews and the floor, and requested help from the public.

Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organizations.

This year, the NCEASL recorded 26 such incidents, including one in which Buddhist monks allegedly attempted to disrupt a Sunday worship service, with the last one reported on March 25.

Out of Sri Lanka’s total population of around 22 million, 70 percent are Buddhist, 12.6 percent Hindu, 9.7 percent Muslim, and 7.6 percent Christian, according to the country’s 2012 census.

In its 2018 report on Sri Lanka’s human rights, the US State Department noted that some Christian groups and churches reported they had been pressured to end worship activities after authorities classified them as “unauthorized gatherings.”

The report also said Buddhist monks regularly tried to close down Christian and Muslim places of worship, citing unidentified sources.

Last Update: Sunday, 21 April 2019 KSA 15:13 - GMT 12:13

GabenFanClub on April 21st, 2019 at 16:44 UTC »

So you know that intelligence briefing that leaked, warning about radical islam terror? The one that some folks here swiftly labelled as fake? Turns out it was legit,

https://twitter.com/fernandoharin/status/1119999431909228544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1120003245991190528&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Fliveupdate%2F12tk9c595qrd7%2FLiveUpdate_af9aecc6-6453-11e9-ae6a-0ebc502b5f4e%2F0

thriloka on April 21st, 2019 at 12:51 UTC »

death toll above 200 now

iaTeALL on April 21st, 2019 at 07:19 UTC »

UPDATE The fuck is happening

An Improvised Explosive Device detected near Katunayake Airport & disposed in controlled explosion at site by SLAF EOD Personnel.- Sri Lanka Airforce

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-sri-lanka-attacks-airport-14443149

AFP News Agency quoting police: Eighth blast hits Sri Lankan capital.

Sri Lanka announces nationwide curfew, starting at 6 p.m., after series of attacks Sri Lanka has shut down social media and messaging services in the country

8 suspects arrested although several people were questioned.

Reports on Sri Lankan TV speak of 7th explosion a few moments ago in Sri Lanka at a Hotel near Dehiwala zoo

This probably is the worst terrorist attack in Sri Lanka (in recent memory).

so far 215 people dead and some 500+ injured (count will rise)

Preliminary reports suggest there were 6 terrorist attacks; so far 2 attackers have been identified.

Two of the six attacks that rocked Sri Lanka this morning are reportedly to be have been carried out by suicide bombers. The attack at Shangri La hotel was carried out by suicide bomber Zahran Hashim, while Abu Mohammad has been identified as the attacker at the Batticalao church.

Live update must be followed https://www.news18.com/news/world/sri-lanka-terror-attack-live-six-blasts-at-churches-hotels-rock-easter-sunday-24-killed-2110779.html

From BBC

No group has yet said it was responsible for the attacks.

There have been fears that Islamic State group fighters returning from the Middle East could pose a threat in the country.

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. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48001720

UPDATE

reporting from AFP

Sri Lanka's police chief made a nationwide alert 10 days before Sunday's bomb attacks in the country that suicide bombers planned to hit "prominent churches", according to the warning seen by AFP.

Police chief Pujuth Jayasundara sent an intelligence warning to top officers on April 11 setting out the threat. "A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo," said the alert.

The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that came to notice last year when it was linked to the vandalization of Buddhist statues.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-police-chief-had-warned-of-suicide-attack-threat-before-blasts

https://gulfnews.com/amp/world/asia/blasts-hit-sri-lanka-churches-hotels-police-1.1555822883729

Edit Death toll of foreigners in #SriLanka blast rises to 35 : AFP

Sri Lankan minister confirmed the authenticity of above report of intelligence.

https://mobile.twitter.com/fernandoharin/status/1119999431909228544