Sri Lankans flee city

Colombo: Many Sri Lankans thronged buses in the main city, Colombo, yesterday to return to their home towns as a curfew was lifted temporarily.

Leaders of political parties were due to meet after the prime minister quit and went into hiding and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa warned of anarchy.

The island nation is battling its worst economic crisis since independence. Violence erupted on Monday after supporters of former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s elder brother, attacked an antigovernment protest camp in Colombo.

Days of violent reprisals against government figures aligned to the powerful Rajapaksa clan followed. Police said nine people were killed and more than 300 injured in the clashes. — Reuters

PHOTO: REUTERS Rescue workers are seen at the site where an Airbus A319 plane of Tibet Airlines caught fire after an aborted takeoff at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, in Chongqing, China, yesterday. All passengers and crew were evacuated, the South China Morning Post reported, but 36 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.