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Video shows Sri Lanka troops firing as protesters try to storm president's house
On Sunday protesters were still milling about in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence, parts of which had been smashed.
A day after the dramatic escalation of largely peaceful anti-government protests in Sri Lanka, calm returned to the streets of the commercial capital Colombo on Sunday as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign after his house was stormed amid outrage over the nation's collapsing economy.
On Saturday, protesters stormed into the premises of the presidential palace and set fire to the private home of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also agreed to resign to make way for an all-party government.
Now, a new video has surfaced on social media in which security personnel can be purportedly seen firing live ammunition into a cement wall as unarmed protesters were hiding behind it.
Local media NewsWire reported that the video was shot moments before protesters entered the President's house on Saturday.
On Saturday, protesters, many wrapped in the Sri Lanka flag, swarmed into his whitewashed colonial-era residence on Saturday, jumped into the swimming pool and sat on a four-poster bed. The videos of them had gone viral on social media.
On Sunday protesters were still milling about in the president's residence, parts of which had been smashed.
Meanwhile, Rajapaksa, a hero of the quarter-century civil war against Tamil rebels, plans to resign on Wednesday, the parliament speaker said.
Thousands had descended on the seaside city demanding Rajapaksa resign after months of mismanaging the crisis, a dramatic escalation of largely peaceful anti-government protests on the island that sits near key shipping lanes.
Some took selfies of the polished interiors, a striking contrast to the misery many have endured. The nation of 22 million people is short of food and fuel, and inflation hit a record 54.6% in June.
Sri Lanka's economic crisis developed after the Covid-19 pandemic hammered the tourism-reliant economy and slashed remittances from overseas workers.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time premier also seen as part of an uncaring ruling elite, agreed to step down, his office said. Local news channels showed a huge fire and smoke coming from his home in an affluent Colombo suburb.
(With inputs from agencies)
