Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a string of explosions that rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday rose to 310 while over 500 were injured, the police said Tuesday.

Another minor explosion occurred in Kochchikade in the capital Colombo on Monday evening when the Bomb Disposal Squad was attempting to defuse an explosive device found in an abandoned vehicle, causing no injuries.

Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara said so far 26 suspects have been arrested from across the country and search operations were ongoing to nab more suspects.

22 Apr 2019; News.Lk: The Government Analyst’s Department has confirmed that the attack on the three churches and the hotels in Colombo had been carried out by suicide bombers.A total of eight explosions occurred across the country since last morning (21) in which 207 were killed and over 450 sustained injuries.

22 April 2019; News.Lk: INTERPOL is deploying a team tomorrow (23rd) to Sri Lanka to assist the national authorities investigating the series of bomb attacks at churches and hotels which left nearly 300 dead and some 500 injured.Checks are already being made against the Organization’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents and nominal databases in order to identify potential investigative leads and international connections.

According to a report in Sri Lankan Daily Mirror news paper, the police today informed Colombo Chef Magistrate’s Court that the suicide bomber of the Shangri-La hotel had been identified as Insun Seelavan who owned a factory in Avissawella- Wellampitiya road.

Nine employees of the said factory were arrested by the Wellampitiya Police and were remanded till May 6 after being produced in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, reported Daily Mirror.

COLOMBO, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the multiple explosions which shook Sri Lanka on Sunday has risen to 290, while over 500 have been injured, the police said Monday.

Earlier reports put the number of casualties at 228, with 450 wounded in the nine attacks that occurred at three churches and four hotels across the country on Sunday.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said Sunday evening in a statement that 32 foreigners were among those killed.

22 April 2019 (AP) - Sri Lankan authorities blocked most social media after Easter Sunday attacks killed more than 200 people, with officials saying the temporary move was meant to curtail the spread of false information and ease tensions.

The NetBlocks observatory said it detected an intentional blackout of popular services including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Viber.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Nine bombings of churches, luxury hotels and other sites on Easter Sunday killed more than 200 people and wounded hundreds more in Sri Lanka’s deadliest violence since a devastating civil war in the South Asian island nation ended a decade ago.

COLOMBO, April 21 (Xinhua) -- An eighth blast ripped through Colombo after a series of explosions rocked the Sri Lankan capital earlier in the day, police confirmed on Sunday.

Police said the latest explosion was reported from Dematagoda in the north of the capital.

The government has imposed a nationwide curfew from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. local time on Monday.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — At least 190 people were killed and hundreds more hospitalized with injuries from eight blasts that rocked churches and hotels in and just outside of Sri Lanka’s capital on Easter Sunday, officials said, the worst violence to hit the South Asian country since its civil war ended a decade ago.

With a curfew imposed, police conducted a search operation on the outskirts of Colombo, where the latest of eight blasts took place.

Colombo, Feb 16 (PTI) The EU has urged Sri Lanka to repeal its controversial anti-terror law and replace with a new one in compliance with the international norms.

Sri Lanka's human rights record, particularly over the impunity enjoyed by law enforcement officers, has been the subject of international condemnation.