COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lanka’s state-run newspaper has reported that 129 people have died in a series of Easter Sunday blasts targeting three churches and three hotels. Daily News says more than 500 others have been hospitalized with injuries caused by the blasts.
The blasts caused fatalities among worshippers and hotel guests, a security official said.
Two of the blasts were suspected to have been carried out by suicide bombers, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with reporters.
Saint Anthony’s Shrine and the three hotels where the blasts took place are in Colombo, and are frequented by foreign tourists.
National Hospital Spokesman Dr. Samindi Samarakoon told The Associated Press that 30 died while the wounded were being treated in the capital Colombo’s main hospital.
Alex Agieleson, who was near the shrine, said buildings shook with the blast, and that a number of injured people were carried away in ambulances.
Local TV showed damage at the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and Kingsbury hotels.
Other blasts were reported at Saint Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a majority Catholic town north of Colombo, and at Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa. Saint Sebastian’s appealed for help on its Facebook page.
The explosion ripped off the roof and knocked out doors and windows at Saint Sebastian’s, where people carried the wounded away from blood-stained pews, local TV footage showed.
Sri Lankan security officials said they were investigating. Police immediately sealed off the areas.
Image credits: AP