Sri Lanka: Pieces of flesh strewn all over church wall, say top priest

A victim's kin weeps outside a hospital in Batticaloa. Pic/AFP

Colombo: The St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo bore the brunt of a series of powerful blasts across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, with a top priest saying pieces of flesh were thrown all over the walls, on the sanctuary and even outside the church.

Father Edmond Tillekeratne, social communications director for the Archdiocese of Colombo, told CNN that about 30 bodies were lying in the church after the blast. He said three priests had been celebrating the mass at the time. Two of them were badly hurt by flying glass and debris, and one was lightly hurt because he was behind the altar.

Relatives of a blast victim grieve outside a morgue in Colombo. Pic/AP

He estimated that over a thousand people had come to the church for Easter Sunday "because it is a special day." Many people came from villages, he said. He described the ground as covered in rubble and shattered glass.

"You can see pieces of flesh thrown all over the walls and on the sanctuary and even outside the church," he added. The Archbishop of Colombo has demanded that those responsible for the blasts to be punished "mercilessly."

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates