South Asia

Sri Lanka church, hotel blasts kill 52

AFP . Colombo
Sri Lankan security personnel stand next to an ambulance outside St. Anthony`s Shrine in Kochchikade in Colombo on 21 April 2019 following a blast at the church. Photo: AFP
Sri Lankan security personnel stand next to an ambulance outside St. Anthony`s Shrine in Kochchikade in Colombo on 21 April 2019 following a blast at the church. Photo: AFP

At least 52 people were killed Sunday in a string of blasts at hotels and churches in Sri Lanka as worshippers attended Easter services, a police official told AFP.

The explosions hit three high-end hotels in the capital, where a church was also targeted. Two additional churches were hit, one near Colombo and the other in the east of the country, police said.

2Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St. Anthony`s Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019. Photo: Reuters
2Sri Lankan military officials stand guard in front of the St. Anthony`s Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019. Photo: Reuters

At least one of the victims was killed in Colombo's Cinnamon Grand Hotel, near the prime minister's official residence, where the blast ripped through a restaurant, a hotel official told AFP.

Debris is seen at St Anthony`s church after explosions hit churches and hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 21 April 2019, in this still image obtained from video. Photo: via Reuters
Debris is seen at St Anthony`s church after explosions hit churches and hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 21 April 2019, in this still image obtained from video. Photo: via Reuters
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