Colombo: A shell-shocked Sri Lanka started a day of national mourning Tuesday with a three-minute silence to pay homage to more than 300 people, including 10 Indians, killed in the gruesome Easter Sunday bombings, the country’s worst terror attack blamed on a previously little-known local Islamist outfit.
A state of emergency took effect Tuesday giving the Sri Lankan military war-time powers, with police arresting 40 suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by suicide bombers involved in the deadly attacks.
National flags were lowered to half mast and people bowed their heads as the silence began at 8:30am local time, the time the first of the deadly attacks occurred on Sunday.
“We have declared today a day of national mourning, we urge people to raise a white flag in honour of the victims,” said Kamal Padmasiri, Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said a three-minute silence was observed nationwide and the national flag will be flown at half-mast for the day.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the death toll went up to 310 Tuesday as some more of the critically injured succumbed to their injuries.
The police spokesman further stated that said the number of arrests made in connection with the blasts has gone up to 40. “The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has made 26 of the arrests, three are being held by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), nine others have been already remanded and two are being held at a Colombo south police station,” Gunasekera announced.
Meanwhile the Indian High Commission announced Tuesday that the number of Indian nationals killed in the blasts has risen to 10. “Regret to confirm the deaths of A Maregowda and H Puttaraju in the blasts in Sri Lanka, Sunday, taking the total number of Indian deaths in the tragedy to 10 as of now,” the High Commission said in a tweet.
The funerals of most of the victims at the St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo will be conducted Tuesady only .
For the first time since the attack, the traffic returned to roads in the Sri Lankan capital which had been under curfew since 8.00pm Monday.