The Guardian view on the bombings in Sri Lanka: fear and hope | Editorial
The worst violence in a decade has struck the heart of a nation
The message of Easter is a message of hope – that most vital yet fragile of qualities, both an instinct and a choice. The devastating blasts that tore through multiple sites in and near Colombo and a church in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday could hardly be crueller. More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more wounded.
That three Catholic churches were struck on the most important day in the Christian calendar, as well as three hotels, speaks for itself. Two more blasts appear to have occurred as the police pursued suspects. Yet it is much too early to discern the precise motivations of the bombers, and it would be not only foolish but also potentially dangerous to speculate in a country with such a complex and troubled history.