Churches And Hotels Bombed In Sri Lanka

On this Easter Sunday, I'm horrified by news from the other side of the world.  In Sri Lanka, bombs went off in three churches and three hotels, some of them possibly by suicide bombers.  Over 200 people, including around 35 foreigners, are reported dead, with over 450 others injured.  The blasts occurred in Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikade, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and Batticaloa.  These places are all on the west coast of the island nation, except for Batticaloa, which is on the east coast.

Police have arrested seven people and seized a truck believed to have been used to deliver some of the bombs.  The government has imposed a curfew and has temporarily blocked some social media sites.  So far, no particular organization has been accused of carrying out the attacks, nor has any claimed responsibility.

According to Wiki, Sri Lanka's population is 70.2% Buddhist, 12.6% Hindu, 9.7% Muslim and 7.4% Christian.  Of the Christians, 82% are Roman Catholic.  The country went through a civil war that ended in 2009, between the government and Tamil separatists, the Tamils being mostly Hindu.

Read more at CNN, Reuters, The Hindu, Channel News Asia, The Straits Times, The Economic Times and News 18.