Britons warned not to travel to Sri Lanka as death toll falls to 253
S r i L a n k a h a s l owe r e d t h e d e a t h t o l l f r o m t h e E a s t e r suicide bombings by nearly one third to 253 as authorit i e s h u n t e d u rg e n t l y f o r a t least five more suspects and braced for the possibilit y of more attacks in coming days.
In rolling back the number of dead from 359, a top Health Ministr y official Dr Anil Jasinghe said the blasts had damaged some bodies beyond reco g n i t i o n , ma k i n g a c c u r a t e identification difficult.
The admission came as Britain advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka.
The Foreign Office says terrorists are ver y likely to tr y to carr y out indiscriminate a t t a c k s t h e r e , i n c l u d i n g i n places visited by foreigners.
Eight Britons were among those killed by suicide bombers at churches and luxur y hotels in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. Religious leaders cancelled public prayer gatherings amid warnings of more such attacks, along with retaliatory sectarian violence. In an unusually specific warning, the US Embassy in Sri Lanka said places of worship could be hit by extremists this weekend.
At least 58 people have been arrested in connection with the wave of blasts at churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, including the father of t wo of the alleged suicide bombers – one of Sri Lanka’s wealthiest spice traders.
Authorities have said those i nvo l ve d i n t h e b l o o d b a t h were well educated and welloff financially.
S r i L a n k a n a u t h o r i t i e s have blamed a local Muslim e x t r e m i s t g r o u p N a t i o n a l Towheed Jamaat. The Islamic State group also claimed r e s p o n s i b i l i t y, t h o u g h o f f i - cials are still investigating the extent of any involvement.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister R anil Wickremesinghe said militants who may have explosives remain on the lo ose in the countr y and “may go out for a suicide attack”. “We have rounded up a lot of suspects, but there are still active people on the run,” he said. “They may be having explosives with them, so we have to find them.”
Police appealed for inform a t i o n a b o u t a n e x t r a three women and two men suspected of involvement in the bombings.
T h e b l o o d s h e d s t i r r e d f e a r s o f mo r e s e c t a r i a n v i o l e n c e i n S r i L a n k a , a country of 23 million people – about 70 per cent of them Buddhist, with the rest Muslims, Hindus and Christians.
“Sri Lankan authorities a r e r e p o r t i n g t h a t a d d i - tional attacks may occur t a rg e t i n g p l a c e s o f wors h i p ,” t h e U S E m b a s s y warned on Twitter.”
newsdeskts@scotsman.com