A series of coordinated bombings has rocked churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, killing almost 300 people on Easter Sunday in the South Asian island nation.
More than 500 people have been injured in the worst attack since the end of the civil war 10 years ago.
The blasts targeted four hotels, including the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and the Cinnamon Grand in the capital Colombo.
Nearly all victims were Sri Lankan. Dozens of foreigners were also killed. There were no claims of responsibility for the attacks.
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, April 22:
Sri Lanka military granted special powers
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena declared a nationwide emergency from midnight onward on Monday and gave the military sweeping war-time powers starting Tuesday to arrest and detain suspects, his office said.
The military was given a wider berth to detain and arrest suspects — powers that were used during the civil war, but withdrawn when it ended.
The president’s media unit said the measure would be confined to dealing with “terrorism” and would not impinge on freedom of expression.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, said he feared Sunday’s massacre could unleash instability, and he vowed to “vest all necessary powers with the defence forces” to act against those responsible.
31 foreign nationals killed
The bodies of 31 foreign nationals killed on Sunday have been identified, Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said in a statement, with 14 others unaccounted for and feared dead.
Among those killed were eight Indian nationals, eight United Kingdom nationals, two Saudi Arabian nationals and two Chinese nationals.
Sadly, we can now confirm that at least 8 British Nationals were killed in yesterday’s horrific attacks in #Srilanka. Our deepest condolences go to all those who lost loved ones and have been affected by this tragedy.
— UKinSriLanka🇬🇧🇱🇰 (@UKinSriLanka) April 22, 2019
The ministry also said 17 foreign nationals wounded in the attacks were receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo and a separate private hospital in the capital.
Pope condemns ‘inhuman acts’
Pope Francis called for universal condemnation of what he said were “terrorist acts, inhuman acts” that could never be justified.
It was the second straight day that the Roman Catholic pope condemned the attacks, which hit many Christians on the most important Christian feast day.
April 23 declared day of national mourning
Sri Lanka’s government has declared Tuesday, April 23 a day of national mourning, the President’s Media Division announced.
Asos billionaire loses three children
Three of the four children of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen died in the attacks, a spokesman has told the BBC.
The family were visiting Sri Lanka over the Easter holiday. The names of the children have not been made public.
Mr Holch Povlsen owns the international clothing chain Bestseller.
He is also the biggest single shareholder in clothing giant Asos and is the UK’s largest private landowner, according to the Times newspaper.
Two Australians killed in the Sri Lankan bomb blasts
The two Australians killed in the Sri Lankan bomb blasts have been identified as mother Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter Alexendria.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had earlier confirmed that two citizens living in Sri Lanka were among the 290 dead. Friend Lucien Pereira confirmed their deaths when contacted by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday.
Mr Pereira said Ms Suriaaratchi and her husband moved to Sri Lanka with their daughter in 2014. “They are so beautiful, so helpful to everyone. They’re just not like normal people, they are so good. I don’t want to believe that we’ve lost them,” Mr Pereira said.
Ms Suriaaratchi’s husband, Sudesh, is believed to be safe.