At least 49 dead, 280 injured in six blasts in Sri Lanka's churches, hotels on Easter

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At least 49 dead, 280 injured in six blasts in Sri Lanka's churches, hotels on Easter
At least 49 dead, 280 injured in six blasts in Sri Lanka's churches, hotels on Easter

Colombo : At least 49 people have reportedly been killed in multiple blasts in six Sri Lankan churches and hotels in Colombo on Easter, said a report.

According to news agency AFP, the blasts occurred at several high-end hotels and a church in Colombo. Two churches were targeted outside the Sri Lankan capital.

The nature of the explosion is under scrutiny.

The first explosions were reported at St Anthony's Church in Colombo and St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in the town of Negombo.

"A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there," read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian's Church.

A couple of minutes later, four other blasts were also confirmed by the police. Three of those were in the hotels.

An official at the Batticaloa hospital told AFP more than 300 people had been admitted with injuries following the blast there.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, responding to the explosions, said that she is in close touch with the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo and that the government was closely monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country.

Indian Embassy has issued helpline numbers for the help of Indian tourists in Sri Lanka.