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Death toll in Sri Lanka bombing soars to 290; 500 others injured

Nearly 300 people have already been confirmed dead in the tragic terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, authorities said Monday morning.

The police released an update on the official death toll and it continues to rise as the figure is now at 290.

Out of that number, most victims are locals and at least 32 foreigners have been killed.

Some of the foreigners who died in the bombings include several British and US citizens, one Japanese citizen, and other Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, and Turkish citizens.

The Department of Foreign Affairs have already said that there are no reports yet that a Filipino died in the incident.

According to previous reports, there have been seven bombings, believed to be by suicide bombers, which targeted four luxury hotels and three Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa on Easter Sunday.

As of press time, Sri Lankan authorities are conducting an investigation on the incident saying that it will examine reports that the intelligence community failed to detect or warn of possible suicide attacks before the violence.

It has also been reported that social media sites have been blocked in Sri Lanka in order to avoid misinformation.

A government source said President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, had called a meeting of the National Security Council early on Monday. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would attend the meeting, the source said.

Photo credits: AP

Staff Report

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