Sri Lanka in state of emergency after six blasts killed several people

Colombo, Apr 21: Following the multiple blasts that rocked Sri Lanka, an emergency meeting has been called, Minister Dr Harsha De Silva said.

He said that the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was on his way from Bentota.

Secretary of Defence and I am at Kochchikade Church. We were also at Shangri-La and Kingsbury Hotels. Rescue operations are underway. Many casualties have been reported including foreigners," he said. He also requested the people to stay indoors and remain calm.

Over 42 people were killed after six blasts ripped across several place in Colombo. Three churches - 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 - were targeted, police said.

The blasts occurred at around 8.45 am (local time) as Easter Sunday masses were in progress, PTI quoted police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera as saying.