Easter Sunday bombings: Sri Lanka declares emergency from Monday midnight

The government has declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.

April 22, 2019 03:59 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 12:28 pm IST - Colombo

Sri Lankan soldiers patrol outside Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on April 22, 2019.

Sri Lankan soldiers patrol outside Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on April 22, 2019.

Sri Lanka will enforce a state of emergency from midnight on Monday in the wake of the deadly Easter blasts that killed 290 people and injured more than 500 others, enhancing the counter terrorism powers of of the security forces.

The decision was made during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The NSC has announced plans to impose a “conditional state of emergency” from midnight, said a statement from the President’s media unit.

It said the measures would target terrorism and would not limit freedom of expression.

The government has declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.

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