Sri Lanka declares emergency from midnight post Easter bomb blasts

The government has declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.

Relatives of a blast victim grieve outside a morgue in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo | AP)

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will enforce a state of emergency from midnight Monday in the wake of the deadly Easter blasts that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500 others, enhancing the counter-terrorism powers of the security forces.

The decision was made during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The NSC has announced plans to impose a "conditional state of emergency" from midnight, said a statement from the president's media unit.

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It said the measures would target terrorism and would not limit freedom of expression.

The government has declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.