Easter Day bomb blasts at three Sri Lankan churches and three hotels have killed at least 138 people and wounded nearly 400, hospital and police officials have said.
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.
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 later in the day.
"I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our peopletoday. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong," he said in a Tweet.
"Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation."
Colombo National Hospital Director Samindi Samrakoon said she knew of at least 20 deaths and 280 people wounded in the capital.
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.
A source in the police bomb squad said that one of the explosions was at St Anthony's Church in Kochcikade, Colombo.
"Our people are engaged in evacuating the casualties," the source said.
A police official has said at least nine of the victims were foreign nationals.
The Department of Foreign Affairs have said they are aware of the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance if requested.
Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organisations.
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 25 March.
Out of Sri Lanka's total population of around 22 million, 70% are Buddhist, 12.6% Hindu, 9.7% Muslim,and 7.6% 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 "unauthorised gatherings."
The report also said Buddhist monks regularly tried to close down Christian and Muslim places of worship, citing unidentified sources.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka's police chief made a nationwide alert ten days ago 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 11 April 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 vandalisation of Buddhist statues.
0 Comments