Amid the celebration of Easter, a series of bombing left Sri Lanka stunned. As it was a special day people came into large masses and also from villages afar. More than 320 were killed in this deadliest attack with at least 500 wounded. The blast targeted three churches and four hotels that are St. Anthony’s Shrine, Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church, Negombo, Zion Church, Batticaloa, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo, Near Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, A house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda.

The explosion blew out the tiled roofs of churches and hotel windows, killing worshippers and hotel guests in process. Images showed pieces of flesh thrown all over the walls and on the sanctuary, bloodied seats, broken glasses and plum of smokes. This attack destroyed a decade of relative peace in the country after the end of the civil war in 2009.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any terror group. But seven people were arrested following the attacks, said Harsha de Silva, Sri Lanka’s minister of economic reforms and public distribution. The state minister of defence Ruwan Wijewardene said “The preliminary investigation has revealed that these attacks were retaliation of the attack against Muslims in Christchurch”. Though there were no claims for the attacks but it is said that National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known Muslim organisation, is behind these attacks.

Fifty people were killed in shooting attacks on two mosques on 15^th March in New Zealand city of Christchurch. These attacks are being linked together.

Sri Lanka has declared emergency and police has imposed island-wide curfew from Sunday evening until Monday morning. The streets of Colombo are completely quiet, with hardly any vehicles on road and no signs of bustling city life.

The first mass burial for the victims of Easter Sunday bombings took place in Colombo. Mourners and relatives of the victims brought flowers to the memorial service and prayed with the clergy as coffins were being carried in and out of the church. But not only are the relatives of the deads but the complete Sri Lanka mourning.

  Christian, festival, Sri Lanka, terrorism