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Photos: Sri Lanka hit by blasts on Easter, 160 killed and over 450 injured

Easter Day bomb blasts at three Sri Lankan churches and three luxury hotels killed 160 people, and wounded more than 450. These eight near simultaneous and coordinated explosions are one of the deadliest blasts in the country’s history. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bomb blasts in Sri Lanka which was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009 during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.

Updated on: Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM IST

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Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets amid blast debris at St Sebastian’s Church. At least nine foreigners were among 160 people killed in eight near simultaneous and coordinated explosions that rocked three churches and three luxury hotels frequented by tourists in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, in one of the deadliest blasts in the country’s history. (STR / AFP)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets amid blast debris at St Sebastian’s Church. At least nine foreigners were among 160 people killed in eight near simultaneous and coordinated explosions that rocked three churches and three luxury hotels frequented by tourists in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, in one of the deadliest blasts in the country’s history. (STR / AFP)

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An elderly woman is helped near St. Anthony’s Shrine after the explosion. The blasts targeted St Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St Sebastian’s Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 a.m. (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

An elderly woman is helped near St. Anthony’s Shrine after the explosion. The blasts targeted St Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St Sebastian’s Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 a.m. (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

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Crime scene officials inspect the explosion area at Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Three explosions were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo. Foreigners and locals who were injured in hotel blasts were admitted to the Colombo General Hospital. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Crime scene officials inspect the explosion area at Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Three explosions were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo. Foreigners and locals who were injured in hotel blasts were admitted to the Colombo General Hospital. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Police officers clear the road as an ambulance drives through carrying the injured. Harsha de Silva, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, said that there have been “many casualties including foreigners.” “45 people died in Colombo where three hotels and a church were hit, while more than 90 were killed in Negombo and 27 in Batticaloa,” hospital sources said, adding that more than 450 people were injured in the blasts. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Police officers clear the road as an ambulance drives through carrying the injured. Harsha de Silva, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, said that there have been “many casualties including foreigners.” “45 people died in Colombo where three hotels and a church were hit, while more than 90 were killed in Negombo and 27 in Batticaloa,” hospital sources said, adding that more than 450 people were injured in the blasts. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

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A shoe of a victim is seen in front of the St. Anthony's Shrine. Among the 45 bodies at the Colombo National Hospital there are nine foreigners, they said, adding that Americans and British citizens were among the dead. (REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

A shoe of a victim is seen in front of the St. Anthony's Shrine. Among the 45 bodies at the Colombo National Hospital there are nine foreigners, they said, adding that Americans and British citizens were among the dead. (REUTERS)

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A relative of a victim cries after the explosion. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, most of the deadly attacks in the past in Sri Lanka were carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

A relative of a victim cries after the explosion. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, most of the deadly attacks in the past in Sri Lanka were carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Blood on gloves of a police mortuary official is seen as he waits for casualties. Silva said he saw horrible scenes, body parts strewn all over. Emergency crews are at all locations in full force. President Maithripala Sirisena has appealed for calm and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe termed the blasts as cowardly attacks. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Blood on gloves of a police mortuary official is seen as he waits for casualties. Silva said he saw horrible scenes, body parts strewn all over. Emergency crews are at all locations in full force. President Maithripala Sirisena has appealed for calm and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe termed the blasts as cowardly attacks. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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A statue of Virgin Marry broken in two parts is seen. The first blasts were reported at St Anthony’s church and St Sebastian’s Church just outside the capital. “A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there,” read a post on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian’s Church. The blasts were followed by explosions at three hotels in Colombo and the church in Batticaloa. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

A statue of Virgin Marry broken in two parts is seen. The first blasts were reported at St Anthony’s church and St Sebastian’s Church just outside the capital. “A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there,” read a post on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian’s Church. The blasts were followed by explosions at three hotels in Colombo and the church in Batticaloa. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Priests walk into the St. Anthony's Shrine after the explosion. Heavy security has been deployed at the Bandaranaike International Airport after the multiple explosions in the country. The riot police and the Special Task Force, extra police security has been deployed around the airport, state-run Daily Times reported. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Priests walk into the St. Anthony's Shrine after the explosion. Heavy security has been deployed at the Bandaranaike International Airport after the multiple explosions in the country. The riot police and the Special Task Force, extra police security has been deployed around the airport, state-run Daily Times reported. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Sri Lankan army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after the blast. Leave of all police personnel has been cancelled in the wake of blasts. Doctors, nurses and health officials who were on leave have been asked to report to work, Health Ministry sources said. The government schools have been closed for Monday and Tuesday. (Rohan Karunarathne / AP)

Updated on Apr 21, 2019 4:52 PM

Sri Lankan army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after the blast. Leave of all police personnel has been cancelled in the wake of blasts. Doctors, nurses and health officials who were on leave have been asked to report to work, Health Ministry sources said. The government schools have been closed for Monday and Tuesday. (Rohan Karunarathne / AP)

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