The death toll has risen to 207, with nearly 450 people injured, after eight blasts hit Sri lanka on Easter Sunday, a police spokesperson confirmed
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Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardena said seven suspects had been arrested and that the death toll included at least 27 foreign nationals.Police conducted a search operation on the outskirts of Colombo, where the latest of eight blasts took place. After police moved in, at least two more blasts occurred, with the occupants of a safehouse apparently blasting explosives to prevent arrest.
A security official told The Associated Press that two of the blasts were suspected to have been carried out by suicide bombers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with reporters.The first blast ripped through St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo. The church and the three hotels in the country's capital are frequented by foreign tourists.
Father Edmond Tillekeratne, the social communications director of the Archdiocese of Colombo, was near St. Sebastian's when the explosion happened."The rooftop is completely destroyed. The flesh of the people is on the walls and all over the place."Pope Francis denounced the"cruel violence" and said he is praying for all those who are suffering from the bloodshed.
He added:"I entrust to the Lord all those who were tragically killed and pray for the injured and all those who are suffering as a result of this dramatic event."The U.S. embassy in Colombo tweeted urging Americans in Sri Lanka to"take shelter in place and exercise extreme caution."138 people have been killed in Sri Lanka, with more that 600 badly injured, in a terrorist attack on churches and hotels.
The blasts follow a lull in major attacks since the end of Sri Lanka's civil war ten years ago. The country was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009, during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.
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