Sri Lanka serial blasts: Death toll rises to 185, 500 injured

A series of blasts rocked the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo and other parts of the country on Sunday morning on the occasion of Easter as near simultaneous explosions hit three churches and three hotels, frequented by tourists. 185 people have been reported dead so far and about 500 people have been reported injured. The blasts occurred at around 8.45 a.m. (local time) as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress in churches, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. Police officials have confirmed explosions at six places including St. Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian Church in Katuwapitiya, Katana and a church in Batticaloa. The hotels where the blast took place include, Shangri La hotel a popular five star hotel of the city, Cinnamon Grand Hotel and Kingsbury Hotel.