Explosions in Sri Lanka: 10 things you need to know

COLOMBO (News 1st): Sri Lankans woke up to the news of explosions all across the country around 8.30 am, starting from the St Anthony's Church, Kochikade, Colombo 13. The Church had a large number of devotees in attendance due to Easter Sunday.

Following is a brief of what followed;

• Katuwapitiya Church

• Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo

• Cinnamon Grand hotel

• Church in Batticaloa

• Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo

• Dehiwala

• Dematagoda

• Total death toll:

  215 |

  Injured:

  450 (as of 6.30 pm, April 21)

• National

  Hospital:

  73 dead, 260 injured

• Kalu

  bowila

  Hospital:

   2 dead, 6 injured

• Negombo

  Hos

  pital:

  104 Dead, 100 injured

• Rag

  ama

  Hospital:

  7 Dead, 32 injured

• Batticaloa:

  28 dead, 51 injured

• Foreign Nationals: 35 dead (USA, Denmark, China, Japan, Pakistan, Morocco, India and Bangladesh)

The Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith responded to the events, stating that all Easter masses in the Colombo District have been cancelled.

Curfew has now been declared with immediate effect, until further notice

Minister of Education Akila Viraj announced that holidays will be given to all government schools on Monday (April 22) and Tuesday (April 23).

The CCD officers, who were investigating the hotel bombings, tracked down a suspect to a house in Mahavila Patumaga, Dematagoda. The officers also received a tip-off that there are more explosives inside a house close to the blast site in Dematagoda.

News 1st reporters on site stated that a shoot-out ensued between the Police officers and those inside the house in question.

Multiple arrests were made following the incident, raising the countrywide arrest numbers to 10, in relation to the explosions across the country.

Meanwhile, a suspicious parcel was found in Jampettah street.

Press release by the Department of Government Information expressed the government's "deepest condolence on the deaths and damages caused by the bomb explosions reported in Colombo and several other parts of the country."