Sri Lanka explosions kill more than 200

Nun: 'I am not afraid to die, but to kill innocents with families is appalling'

From CNN staff in Colombo

Speaking to CNN outside St Anthony’s Shrine, Sister Ramoshini Fernando, a Catholic nun, said that several of her friends and parishioners died in the attack. 

Her father had been near the explosion when it took place, and has been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, she said.

Fernando said she hoped all Catholics would pull together in the attacks' aftermath. Wearing a blue robe and a prominent crucifix, Fernando said she was aware she could be a target and did not feel safe.

“I am not afraid to die,” she said, adding she has dedicated her life to religious service. “But to kill innocents with families is appalling.”

 

20 min ago

'We will apply shock therapy': Housing Minister

From CNN staff in Colombo

Speaking outside St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Housing Sajith Premadasa said the Easter attacks were a “brand new type of terrorism” for a country that has been long dogged by violence.

"Since the end of the war in 2009, we have not experienced this type of attack so we are extremely disturbed and concerned about this," he said.

“It’s a shock and we will apply shock therapy,” he added later. 

Premadasa acknowledged apparent security oversights in the run up to the attacks and said that would be a key part of the investigation now taking place.

Responding to reports of reprisal attacks against Sri Lanka’s Muslim community he said such activity was not widespread and was confident that the “rule of law will prevail.” 

The explosion at the shrine appeared to be the work of one suicide bomber, he said.

32 min ago

24 people have been arrested

From journalist Sandun Arosha F'do in Colombo

Twenty-four people have been arrested in connection with the attacks, Superintendent of Police Ruwan Gunasekara told CNN.

On Monday, two men were arrested for "behaving suspiciously" at a hotel in the town of Dambulla, in the center of the country. In response to questions from CNN, Gunasekara said the arrests were connected to Sunday's bombings.

40 min ago

Photo shows family at Easter breakfast, just before the explosion

From CNN’s Angus Watson in Hong Kong

Television chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter Nisanga Mayadunne were killed in the explosion at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, say two immediate family members.

In Facebook photo apparently posted just before the explosion, Nisanga showed herself and several others eating breakfast at the hotel. The photo caption read "Easter breakfast with family 😊"

 

1 hr 7 min ago

Death toll rises to 290

From journalist Sandun Arosha F'do in Colombo

The number of people killed in Sri Lanka's church and hotel attacks has risen to 290, Superintendent of Police Ruwan Gunasekara told CNN, in a steep upward revision of earlier estimates. About 500 more are injured.

1 hr 33 min ago

Visual timeline: How the eight attacks unfolded

 

 

Sri Lankan hospital workers and Army soldiers stand at the door to a morgue following a blast in a church in Batticaloa. 

Sri Lankan hospital workers and Army soldiers stand at the door to a morgue following a blast in a church in Batticaloa. Lakruwan Wanniarachichi/Getty Images

 

Here's a visual timeline of the attacks as they struck cities across Sri Lanka on Sunday, including targeting Easter services in three churches.

1 hr 54 min ago

Social media still blocked

From CNN staff in Colombo

Tourists and residents attempting to get in touch with relatives via social media on Monday were unable to do so without a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or a foreign SIM card, after the government ordered a block on social media in the aftermath of the attacks.

Attempts to load Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and the messaging app Viber all failed Monday morning. Twitter appears to be accessible and some government ministers have been tweeting out information.

Some Sri Lankans have been circumventing the blocks with VPNs. People using foreign SIM cards which roam onto non-Sri Lankan networks were unaffected.

2 hr 6 min ago

Two Turkish engineers named among the victims

 

Turkey has revealed the names of two Turkish citizens killed in the bombings.

"Unfortunately, we lost our citizens, Serhan Selcuk Narici and Yigit Ali Cavus, in the treacherous attacks in Sri Lanka," Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu was quoted as saying in state media Anadolu Agency.

Both were engineers, the agency reported. 

“We are in contact with their families and we will ensure quick return of the bodies to our country," Cavusoglu said.

2 hr 18 min ago

New Zealand prime minister calls for 'the right to worship safely'

 

Little more than a month after a devastating attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the country's prime minister has a message of solidarity for Sri Lanka.

“New Zealand condemns all acts of terrorism, and our resolve has only been strengthened by the attack on our soil on the 15th of March. To see an attack in Sri Lanka while people were in churches and at hotels is devastating," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a statement.

“New Zealand rejects all forms of extremism and stands for freedom of religion and the right to worship safely."

 

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com