Sri Lanka Marks Easter Sunday Attack Anniversary

Church bells have rung out across Sri Lanka, marking one year since more than 250 people were killed by a group of suicide bombers.

But there are no other large-scale events planned to remember the men, women and children - from worshippers celebrating Easter in the church to tourists enjoying breakfast in hotel restaurants - whose lives were ended 12 months ago, BBC reported.

Sri Lanka has been observing a curfew since March, as it tries to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has so far killed seven on the island nation.

But the day is not going unnoticed - not least for those whose lives were changed forever by the violence.

What happened?

Nine suicide bombers detonated their devices in six locations around the country on Easter Sunday last year.

Reports of the explosions first came in at about 08:45 (03:15 GMT) on 21 April.

Three blasts were at churches: in the Kochchikade district of Colombo; in Negombo, to the north of the capital; and in the eastern city of Batticaloa. The churches were packed with worshippers celebrating Easter.

The other three blasts were at three luxury hotels in the capital - the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand.

Source: BBC