update: atleast 160 people are injured
Bangladesh Media report: 20 people dead so far
3 Churches and 3 Hotels have come under attack
Police sources say explosions hit churches in the north of the capital Colombo and town of Negombo
Sun 21 Apr 2019 06.07 BST Last modified on Sun 21 Apr 2019 06.09 BST
Sri Lanka explosions: 80 believed injured in blasts at two churches
Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo after an explosion. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters
Explosions hit two churches in
Sri Lanka on Sunday, injuring at least 80 people as worshippers attended Easter services, police and health officials said.
“Eighty people have already been admitted, and more are still coming in,” an official at the Colombo National Hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A source in the police bomb squad said that one of the explosions was at St Anthony’s church in Kochcikade, in the capital, Colombo. “Our people are engaged in evacuating the casualties,” the source said.
A second explosion was reported at St Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a Catholic majority town north of Colombo.
The nature of the explosions was not immediately clear.
“A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there,” read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian’s Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo.
Only around 6% of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates
source:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ieved-injured-in-blasts-at-two-churches#img-1
