Following a string of tragic attacks on Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka has been able to confirm the deaths of 290 people with a further 500 being injured.
As for what took place, explosions were first reported at approximately 08:45 local time, with this report informing officials that six blasts had just taken place. Specifically, it turns out that a number of suicide-bombers had targeted three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district. The attacks took place during the Easter services, consequently meaning that the churches were packed.
Shortly after this, Police successfully raided two addresses that were thought to be tied to the attacks, explosions then took place at both, killing three officers between them. Surrounding all of this tragedy is a small silver lining, a 6ft improvised explosive device was found and then defused at the airport in the capital, Colombo. As well as this, another 87 low-explosive detonators from the Bastian Mawatha Private Bus Station in Pettah were also found before they could inflict any damage.
As for who carried out the attacks, the government initially blamed the events on a local jihadist group. However, since then officials have made it clear that this was something that was organised across the globe, spurring the President, Maithripala Sirisena, to ask for foreign help to track down the international links to the attackers.
