Sri Lanka PM apologises for failing to curb Easter blasts

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday apologised to his people for failing to prevent the deadly Easter Sunday serial blasts that rattled the nation claiming lives of 253 and injuring several hundred.

"We take collective responsibility and apologise to our fellow citizens for our failure to protect victims of these tragic events. We pledge to rebuild our churches, revive our economy, and take all measures to prevent terrorism, with the support of the international community," the Prime Minister tweeted.

A series of eight coordinated blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels across the country marking the worst violence since the civil war ended in 2009.

In the wake of the blasts, which exposed a major intelligence failure on the part of Sri Lankan authorities, police chief Pujith Jayasundara and defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando have stepped down from their posts for their failure to curtail the massacre despite having prior warnings.

The ISIS (Islamic State) terror group claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tuesday.

CNN reported that warnings were shared with Sri Lankan security services, including one memo addressed to the IGP, prior to the attacks. However, no measures were taken to thwart the deadly attacks which killed more than 350 people, including 10 Indians.

On April 21, eight explosions rattled Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikede and Batticaloa as the Christian community celebrated Easter Sunday. At least 250 people were killed and over 500 others were injured in the serial blasts.