COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police on Saturday arrested 19 people after violent clashes erupted in Galle District.
A police curfew which had been imposed in six areas across the district was lifted on Saturday morning.
A police official told Xinhua news agency that the situation had not returned to normal and tight security would remain across the district throughout the day.
Over 200 police officers and 100 officers from the Special Task Force were deployed in Galle following the violence which erupted between Buddhist and Muslim groups on Friday night.
Media reports said the groups had clashed over an accident which had escalated to violence.
Several people were injured in the clashes while some houses had also been damaged.