Sri Lanka blasts: 24 arrested, 6 Indians among dead

As many as 290 people were killed in one of the deadliest bomb blasts that rocked the island nation of Sri Lanka on Sunday (April 21), on the occasion of Easter. The dead included six Indians and 27 foreign residents.

The blasts that occurred across eight locations, targeted St Anthonys Church in Colombo, St Sebastians Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and a church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 a.m. (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. Explosions were reported from three five-star hotels – the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo and a hotel near the Dehiwala zoo. The eight blasts were reported from Dematagoda Mahawila Gardens in Colombo which claimed the lives of three police officers.

Nearly 500 people have been injured in the blasts, police said.

PTI reports say 24 people have been arrested in this regard so far.

On Monday (April 22) morning air force officials defused an improvised pipe bomb discovered close to Colombo’s main airport, police said.

You can't add multiple events in the same post, page or custom post type.