Around 160 killed, hundreds injured in 6 blasts at Sri Lankan hotels and churches on Easter Sunday

Six explosions rocked Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka as Christians began Easter Sunday celebrations, with around 160 killed and hundreds injured, media reported, citing police.

The blasts occurred at around 8:45am local time at St. Anthony’s Church in Colombo and St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a Catholic-majority town outside of the capital. The Zion Church in Batticaloa on the eastern coast was also targeted.

© Instagram / jeevan_rajeevan

At around the same time, the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury five-star hotels were also hit, police confirmed. All attacks appear to have been coordinated.

At least 156 people were killed, AFP reported, citing police. More than 400 were injured in the attacks.

https://twitter.com/aashikchin/status/1119812803446157312

Alleged footage of the aftermath, shared on social media, showed chaos and large-scale destruction inside at least one of the churches.

Original: https://www.rt.com/news/457129-sri-lanka-church-hotel-blasts/