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Sri Lanka attacks: More than 350 killed as churches and hotels targeted
At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, police say.
Eight blasts were reported, including at three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo's Kochchikade district during Easter services.
The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand luxury hotels, all in the capital, were also targeted.
A curfew has been put in place "until further notice" and social media networks have been temporarily blocked.
It remains unclear who carried out the attacks, but reports say 13 people have so far been arrested.
Late on Sunday, the country's air force said an improvised explosive device had been found, and disposed of, close to Colombo's main airport.
"A PVC pipe which was six feet in length containing explosives in it was discovered," spokesman Gihan Seneviratne told local media.
It comes as the country's prime minister admitted there may have been prior intelligence about the attacks.
Officials says 36 foreign nationals are thought to be among the dead, including 25 yet to be identified.
How did the attacks unfold?
The first reports of explosions came at about 08:45 (03:15 GMT) local time - with six blasts reported close together at churches and luxury hotels.
St Sebastian's church in Negombo was severely damaged in one explosion, with dozens killed at the site.
Images from inside showed blood on the pews and the building's ceiling shattered.
There were also heavy casualties at the site of the first blast in St Anthony's, a hugely popular shrine in Kochchikade, a district of Colombo.
Robert Tyler, who has lived in Sri Lanka for six years, told the BBC that at least two of the hotels appeared to have had their restaurants targeted at a busy time for breakfast.
Two further explosions were reported as police tried to find those involved. One blast hit near the zoo in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, and an eighth was reported near the Colombo district of Dematagoda during a police raid, killing three officers.
The government has said most of the attacks are thought to have been carried out by suicide bombers.
Who are the victims?
The vast majority of those killed are thought to be Sri Lankan nationals, including dozens who were attending Easter church services.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says five British people - including two with joint US citizenship - are among the dead. The US State Department has said "several" Americans have been killed.
Three Danish citizens, two Turkish nationals and one person from the Netherlands were also killed, their governments have confirmed.
Sri Lankan officials say three Indian nationals and one Portuguese citizen are also among the dead.
They say 25 more fatalities at a Colombo mortuary are also thought to be international citizens awaiting identification.
Airlines have said people are still able to travel to the airport under the curfew if they produce their boarding pass and identification at checkpoints.
Travellers are being advised to arrive at the airport four hours before their scheduled flight time.
What have officials said?
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the media on Sunday evening.
During the briefing, he referred to allegations that officials had been in possession of intelligence suggesting an impending attack.
"We must look into why adequate precautions were not taken. Neither I nor the Ministers were kept informed," he said.
"For now the priority is to apprehend the attackers," he added.
Pope Francis, in his traditional Urbi et Orbi speech at the Vatican, condemned the attacks as "such cruel violence" targeting Christians celebrating Easter.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said he is "outraged" by the attacks, and hopes the perpetrators will be "swiftly brought to justice".
Cardinal Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Ranjith, told the BBC: "It's a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such a thing to happen and especially on Easter Sunday."
UK PM Theresa May tweeted condolences, saying the "acts of violence against churches and hotels in Sri Lanka are truly appalling".
US President Donald Trump tweeted "heartfelt condolences" for the "horrible terrorist attacks".
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What's Sri Lanka's recent history?
Sunday's attacks are the deadliest seen in Sri Lanka since the end of the country's civil war in 2009.
The civil war ended with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for the minority ethnic Tamils. The war is thought to have killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people.
The nation has seen some sporadic violence since. In March 2018 a state of emergency was declared after members of the majority Buddhist Sinhala community attacked mosques and Muslim-owned properties.
British firefighter and his wife killed in bombings
From CNN’s Sarah Dean and Bex Wright
A retired Manchester Fire and Rescue Service borough commander and his wife were among the victims of the bombings in Sri Lanka, the UK Fire Service said Monday.
“Sadly, retired GMFRS Borough Commander Billy Harrop and has wife Sally were both killed this weekend in the terrible bombing in Sri Lanka. RIP,” the agency said on Twitter.
The Manchester Evening News said Harrop had been “celebrated for his heroism during the IRA bombing of Manchester” in 1996. The newspaper said Harrop was 56 and believed he had recently retired to Australia.
The Harrops bring the number of identified British victims to five. The Met Police say there are eight British victims total: two dual US-UK nationals and six British nationals.
1 hr 57 min ago
Trump tweets about call with Sri Lankan prime minister and deletes tweet about call with president
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Trump has deleted a tweet about speaking with the Sri Lankan president — and replaced it with a tweet about talking to the Sri Lankan prime minister.
"Spoke to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka this morning to inform him that the United States stands by him and his country in the fight against terrorism," Trump tweeted this afternoon. A White House readout also said he spoke to Wickremesinghe.
US and Indian intelligence agencies had warned the Sri Lankan government of imminent attacks, said Harsha de Silva, the Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday, de Silva said the Sri Lankan government “did receive information from overseas that something terrible was to happen” but the prime minister "was kept in the dark.”
De Silva, an ally of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, argued that “it wasn’t a failure of the intelligence apparatus” but “a failure of implementing” an appropriate response.
Wickremesinghe had said on Sunday that there may have been prior information about the attacks. He said he was not kept informed and it is one of the issues that must be looked into.
"For now the priority is to apprehend the attackers," he added.
British mom and two children killed in bombing shared "priceless ability to light up any room," husband says
From CNN’s James Frater
British father Ben Nicholson said Monday that his wife Anita, his 14-year-old son Alex and his 11-year-old daughter Annabel were killed Sunday in the bombing of the Shangri-La Hotel restaurant bombing in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
“Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children,” Nicholson said in a statement released by the UK Foreign Office.
The statement continued: “Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood. They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with.”
He asked for the media to respect his privacy “and allow us to grieve together.”
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