Lanka: Not 359, Easter blasts toll 253

Colombo, April 25 

Sri Lanka on Thursday night revised the Easter blasts death toll downward to 253, saying the previous figure of 359 was due to a “calculation error”.

Authorities earlier said that nine suicide bombers, believed to be members of local Islamist extremist group called National Thowheed Jamath, carried out the blasts that killed 359 persons and wounded more than 500 others. However, in an embarrassing revision, Dr Anil Jasinghe, the Director General of the Health Services, said the larger death toll was released as a result of a “calculation error”.

“The approximate total of the dead would be 253 and not 359 as reported in media," he said. Jasinghe said that at least 485 injured were admitted to six hospitals throughout the country. "By 10 am today, the casualty number at hospitals has been reduced to 149. Only six had died in hospitals,” Jasinghe said.

“As it was not easy to count the correct number of dead due to extensive damages suffered in some cases, the figures issued were all approximate numbers,” he defended. Jasinghe said those who died in the three hotel blasts were mostly beyond recognition as their body parts had suffered comparatively more damages than those who died at church blasts.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said the number of foreigners killed has risen to 40, including 11 Indians. 

Meanwhile, the island nation on Thursday suspended its plans to grant visas on arrival to citizens of 39 countries after the Easter suicide bombings. "Although arrangements were in place to issue visas on arrival for citizens of 39 countries, we have now decided to hold it for the time being in consideration of the current security situation,” Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said. “Investigations have revealed foreign links to the attacks and we don't want this facility to be abused.” 

The visa-on-arrival pilot programme was part of an initiative to increase tourist arrivals to the country during the six month off-season period from May to October.  — PTI 

Drones banned; Hunt on for suspects  

• A minor explosion occurred on Thursday in the Sri Lankan capital’s outskirts even as security forces continued a search for accomplices of suicide bombers  
• The government also banned the use of all drones and unmanned aircraft within the Sri Lankan airspace with effect from Thursday for security reasons 
• “Investigations have revealed foreign links to the attacks and we do not want this visa-on-arrival facility to be abused,” Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said
• The visa-on-arrival pilot programme was part of an initiative to increase tourist arrivals to the country during off-season from May to October

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary quits 

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned on Thursday, accepting responsibility for failing to prevent the Easter Sunday suicide bombings. Fernando told an international news agency that while there had been no failure on his own part, he was taking responsibility for the failures of some institutions which were under his command. President Maithripala Sirisena had earlier asked the Defence Secretary and the police chief to quit