By Joanna Slater , Joanna Slater Foreign correspondent covering South Asia Email Bio Follow Amantha Perera and Shibani Mahtani Shibani Mahtani Reporter covering Southeast Asia Email Bio Follow April 21 at 11:44 PM Explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka killed 290 people and injured more than 500 Sunday. This is what we know so far:● Churches attacked as worshipers gathered for Easter services.
“It was like the past had come back,” he said, referring to Sri Lanka’s long-running civil war that ended in 2009. But even at the worst points of the war, “the church was someplace safe.” In that time, tourism in Sri Lanka had been steadily growing, the country transformed by the apparent end of instability, bloodshed and frequent suicide bombings over the 26-year war.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Attention is now focusing on why and how the government and security forces were unable to foil the bombings, which they apparently had earlier knowledge of. Images of splintered pews and bloodstained floors played across local television screens Sunday as the enormity of the attacks, launched on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, became clear.
Blasts ripped through three churches in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa at approximately 8:45 a.m. Sunday as worshipers were gathering for services, police said. Two people at the Shangri-La Hotel described a powerful explosion that made the ground shake just before 9 a.m. Photos showed broken windows and shattered glass on a street next to the hotel.
Sri Lankan authorities announced a nationwide curfew, which was lifted by Monday morning. They blocked Facebook and the messaging application WhatsApp in an attempt to halt the spread of false and inflammatory messages. Security was heightened at churches across the country, and the streets of Colombo grew quiet and deserted as the curfew took effect.
May God save the children of sirya
in case you leftists haven't figured it out, this is what Islam stands for. Murder, Rape, Pillaging. This is what Islam would do if left unchecked in every country. No measure of sticking your head in the sand can change this absolute fact. Taqfir is the key, look it up.
Yeah, MUSLIMS killing CHRISTIANS. Not cool. Not progressive. Not chic or sophisticated. Simply pure evil.
RAW.... Behind the scene
hurt in their house of worship. makes us all a little vulnerable.
UN This isn’t good! I don’t think there is any better times we needed Unity than right now.
What is happining in the world. There are slaughters in every where. Does it become normal for the people?
Sifill_LDF 🙏🏽🙏🏽💕😢
Sweet Lord, help this world from Satan.
Cloud bursting of Religion evil thought arises beyond repair
A proper headline would be death toll rises after Muslim terrorists murder Christian's.
Really WoPo?
So tragic. The fact the authorities were warned 10 days before and now shutting down social media sounds like they were involved.
This is so heartbreaking.
Of course this has nothing to do with the ReligionOfPeace!
“Some People did something to some Easter Worshippers”- your 2019 Christian hating Democrats ladies and gentleman!
The Lord be with them. Heartbreaking. America suffers with a gov & media pushing God out of our society, progressives pushing socialism, infanticide, etc - those people lost their lives for their Faith. 😪Do not allow our Faith to be silenced in America.
Who did the bombings? Was it Christians? I’ll denounce them! Who did it? Hmm? I’ll await your answer and denouncement of whoever did it.
The grief is palpable. 😢 God grant her fortitude and comfort all the victims’ families in their pain.
I really feel sorry for the C-word people who were worshipping Easter.
The name of a main Bomber is Mohammed AlWahabi, but his religion wasn't informed by the authorities.
Absolutely heartbreaking. Why why why? Pittsburgh, Christchurch, Sri Lanka, Louisiana. Hate is despicable
These Christian victims of Terrorist attacks are martyrs. It dies not matter which words the secular media chooses to use it not use to form Narratives.
Where is the sympathy of the Bezos network? No one is pointing the finger at the Mohammedans who work for the CIA.... God will strike down infidel CIA. .
Mr. Ranil and Co should take the responsibilities for the Easter attacks because, this has been informed earliar by the Countries intelligence.
live updates here
...tearism breeds terrorism...
We'll be waiting for your woke opinion pieces on Islamic terrorism.
And Hillary and Obama will NOT say Christians ... Or Catholics ... they are Easter Worshipers ? WTF is going on with the worldwide attack on Christians !
that there are people that make this choice, instead of choosing peace.
Terrible. This is why companies left south east Asia
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