At least 207 people have died after suspected suicide bombers blew up churches and five-star hotels in an Easter Sunday terror attack in Sri Lanka. The eight blasts today ripped through landmarks in Colombo and on Sri Lanka’s east coast, targeting Christians, hotel guests and foreign tourists and leaving at least 450 people wounded. Six […]
At least 207 people have died after suspected suicide bombers blew up churches and five-star hotels in an Easter Sunday terror attack in Sri Lanka.
The eight blasts today ripped through landmarks in Colombo and on Sri Lanka’s east coast, targeting Christians, hotel guests and foreign tourists and leaving at least 450 people wounded.
Six bombs went off in quick succession before another two blasts two hours later in Sri Lanka’s worst violence since the end of its decades-long civil war in 2009.
The victims include at least 35 foreigners, believed to include Britons and Americans as well as nationals of Turkey, China, Portugal and the Netherlands.
As details of the horror emerged today, TV chef Shantha Mayadunne and her London-based daughter Nisanga were among the first victims named.
Meanwhile a manager at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo said the attacker had set off the horrific explosion in a packed restaurant at 8.30am, after waiting in a queue for a breakfast buffet.
Seven suspects have been arrested, as it emerged the country’s police chief had warned of an Islamic extremist plot to target ‘prominent churches’ just 10 days earlier, but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sri Lanka’s defence ministry has now ordered curfew with immediate effect ‘until further notice’ while access to social media messaging services has been shut down.
Adapted from Daily Mail UK, New York Post
Award winning journalist and writer who has worked as a stringer for a couple of acclaimed South Africa based German journalists, covered 3 Ugandan elections, 2008 Kenya election crisis, with interests in business and sports reporting.
