Photos: Over 200 dead after several explosions at Sri Lankan churches & hotels today
A bomb was found and safely destroyed at Sri Lanka's main airport this evening just hours after co-ordinated attacks killed 207 people in explosions at churches and five-star hotels on Easter Sunday.
Eight blasts ripped through landmarks around the capital Colombo, and on Sri Lanka's east coast, targeting Christians, hotel guests and foreign tourists. More than 450 people were wounded and five British citizens were among the dead. A a six-foot pipe bomb was later found by air force personal on a routine patrol at the country's main airport Bandaranaike International, also known as Katunayake Airport or Colombo International. 'A PVC pipe which was six feet in length containing explosives in it was discovered,' Air Force Spokesman Gihan Seneviratne told the Sri Lankan Sunday Times. He said the bomb device was discovered by Air Force personnel on a routine patrol and was disposed by the Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit of the Air Force in a controlled area.
The airport was put 'on lockdown' while the security forces examined and detonated the device, according to reports from the scene. It comes after this morning, 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. As details of the horror emerged today, Sri Lankan 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.
At least 35 foreigners are feared to have been killed in the attacks - including five Britons, two of whom were joint US-UK citizens. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the the 'horrifying attacks' which he said had killed 'several British nationals'. Further fatalities are said to include three Indians, two Turks, one Portuguese citizen and an unknown number of Dutch and Chinese nationals. 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.
The airport was put 'on lockdown' while the security forces examined and detonated the device, according to reports from the scene. It comes after this morning, 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. As details of the horror emerged today, Sri Lankan 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.
At least 35 foreigners are feared to have been killed in the attacks - including five Britons, two of whom were joint US-UK citizens. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the the 'horrifying attacks' which he said had killed 'several British nationals'. Further fatalities are said to include three Indians, two Turks, one Portuguese citizen and an unknown number of Dutch and Chinese nationals. 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.
Post a Comment