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Sri Lankans carry a dead body at St. Sebastian's Church damaged in blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2019. More than hundred were killed and hundreds more hospitalized with injuries from eight blasts that rocked churches and hotels in and just outside of Sri Lanka's capital on Easter Sunday, officials said, the worst violence to hit the South Asian country since its civil war ended a decade ago. AP/PTI[/caption]
United Nations, April 22 (PTI): The UN leadership strongly condemned the string of attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday that killed 290 people and injured more than 500 others, with the chief of the world body Antonio Guterres saying he was "outraged" by the devastating blasts.
Eight blasts, including suicide attacks, targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa around 8.45 am (local time) as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress.
Explosions were reported from three five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo.
Six Indians were among 290 people killed in the attack which shattering a decade of peace in the island nation since the end of the brutal civil war with the LTTE.
In a statement issued by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General Guterres said he was "outraged by the terrorist attacks" on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, which is a "sacred day" for Christians around the world.
The UN Chief "recalls the sanctity of all places of worship. He hopes the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice," the statement added.
Expressing his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the people and Government of Sri Lanka, Guterres commended the Sri Lankan leadership and unity of the people of the island nation in the wake of the attacks.
"The Secretary-General reiterates the support and solidarity of the United Nations with the people and the Government of Sri Lanka in this difficult moment for the nation," the statement said.
A state of emergency was declared from midnight Monday after a crucial meeting of the National Security Council chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.
No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks, but police have so far arrested 24 people - mostly members of a same group - in connection with the blasts.
Police said that 9 out of the 24 arrested for involvement in the blasts were ordered to be remanded by the Colombo magistrate's court till May 6.
Government's spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said local Islamist extremist group called the National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) is suspected of plotting the blasts.
In a tweet, UN's Resident Coordinator for the Indian Ocean island Hanaa Singer said the UN "strongly condemns the horrific attacks carried out against civilians and worshippers...Heartfelt condolences to the families, victims, Government and people".
She also urged Sri Lankans to stand united in the face of the carnage.
President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa also expressed her "deep sadness" over the blasts.
She said her thoughts were with the people of Sri Lanka, "affected by yet another act of senseless violence".
"We must unite in our common humanity to condemn these heinous acts and stop targetting innocent people, practising their faith in peace," Espinosa said.
Sri Lanka's bloody 30-year civil war waged between the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north ended in 2009 with the defeat of the separatist forces.
The island is home to around 1.5 million Christians, the vast majority Roman Catholic. The Singhalese majority are Buddhist - comprising around 70 per cent of the population - besides sizeable Hindu and Muslim populations.
According to a UN news article, eye witness reports from St Sebastian's church in Negombo describe a scene of carnage, with dozens killed.
There were also heavy casualties at St Anthony's in the Kochckicade district of Colombo, where the first blast happened.
Pope Francis, in his Easter Address outside St Peter's in Rome, expressed his "affectionate closeness" for the Christian community in Sri Lanka which had been struck while gathering for one of its biggest celebrations of the year, and said his thoughts were with "all the victims of such cruel violence".