At the stroke of midnight today (April 22), the Eiffel Tower went dark to pay tribute to the 290 people who were killed in the Sri Lanka bomb attacks.
About 500 people were also injured in the explosions which hit churches and hotels across the country on Easter Sunday (April 21).
It is the deadliest violence the nation has seen since the civil war ended in 2009.
To honour the victims of the attacks, the Eiffel Tower turned off its lights, a move the operators of the Parisian landmark often make in response to a tragic event.
The tower’s Twitter account made the announcement:
Tonight, from 12:00 am, I will turn my lights off to pay tribute to the victims of the Sri Lanka attacks.
The iconic structure also went dark following the attack in Manchester (May 2017), the shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo (January 2015) and the terror attacks in Paris (November 2015).
According to BBC News, so far 24 people have been arrested in relation to the Sri Lanka attacks, and the Sri Lankan government have named a local militia group responsible for the attack.
Six explosions were reported within a short space of time, starting at around 08:45 local time (03:15 GMT) yesterday.
The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the country’s capital, and three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district were targeted.
Two further explosions were then reported, one near the zoo in Dehiwala and an eighth near the Colombo district of Dematagoda during a police raid
There is currently no information available regarding those arrested, but the government has said they believe at some sites suicide bombs were used.
BBC News reporter Azzam Ameen said on Twitter it is thought the attackers are part of ‘a radical extremist Islamist group’.
He wrote:
Government Analyst speaking to News Radio LK has confirmed that suicide bombers carried out explosions in St. Anthony’s & Katuwapitiya Church, Shangri-La & Cinnamon Grand. 13 arrested so far police believe most of them are part of a ‘radical extremist Islamist group’.
Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, urged people to avoid spreading misinformation surrounding the attacks.
He tweeted:
I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.
Our thoughts are with all those affected.
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