Sri Lanka's speaker Karu Jayasuriya has issued an official statement, calling this morning's bomb blasts an attack on the whole country and not just on those who belonged to one specific religion.

He called on the people of the country to act with caution, responsibility and solidarity with one another and thereby defeat the motivations of whoever carried out the attack.

Ethirajan Anbarasan
BBC World Service

The timing and the targets were clearly chosen with the aim of causing the maximum possible damage.

The churches were packed for Easter services and it's a busy holiday season for Sri Lanka. A church in the Tamil-dominated city of Batticaloa was among those targeted. A doctor there told the BBC that 27 people had died and some of the injured were in a critical condition

Sri Lanka has remained largely peaceful after the civil war which ended in 2009, with the total defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Around seven percent of the Sri Lankan population are Christians.

Sri Lanka has faced ethnic tensions before but this is the first time that so many churches have been targeted at the same time.

India's President and Prime Minister, and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, are among the first leaders to condemn the attack.

Ayeshea Perera
BBC News

The multiple blasts across churches and hotels in Sri Lanka will be a story that is depressingly familiar to many of its citizens - particularly those who lived there in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's.

A brutal civil war between government armed forces and a separatist Tamil militant group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which went on for 25 years until it ended in 2009. There was brutality on both sides but this will evoke memories of many similar attacks carried out across the country, including in the capital Colombo.

These include an attack on the central bank which killed 91 people and several other suicide bombings in various parts of the country including on the sacred tooth temple in Kandy - a Buddhist heritage site.

The country was due to mark ten years since the defeat of the LTTE and the end of the war next month.

It is unclear who has carried out today's attacks - there has been no statement from any group or organisation so far.

The historic St Anthony's church at Kochikade is a hugely popular destination for Sri Lankans of all religious persuasions - and this is one of its most distinctive traits.

Typically supplicants from all over the country come to St Anthony's on a Tuesday for blessings because of the miraculous powers attributed to the shrine.

The origin story of the church and shrine itself dates back to the early 19th Century and the founder is said to have been a zealous priest, Friar Antonio, who came from Cochin in southern India.

At the time Sri Lanka was under Dutch control and Catholicism was proscribed but a miracle was attributed to him and he was allowed the site as a gesture of the colonial administration's gratitude.

Image source, EPA

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, James Dauris, said he was in Colombo with his family at a church service which was cut short by the attacks.

His tweet comes as a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of reports of a number of explosions in Sri Lanka, including Colombo, and we are urgently seeking information from the local authorities.

"British nationals in Sri Lanka should follow the instructions of the local authorities and check FCO travel advice for updates."

Meanwhile, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the "horrifying attacks".

He added: "To target those gathered for worship on Easter Sunday is particularly wicked.

"My prayers are with the victims and their families, and with those assisting in the response."

The Cinnamon Group, which owns the popular luxury hotel, Cinnamon Grand in the capital, tweeted saying a restaurant on the ground floor was hit by an explosion.

Sri Lankan minister Harsha de Silva has asked people not to speculate about who could be responsible for the attack.

The heads of the army, navy and air force have also met with the prime minister, and an official statement is expected soon.

This very useful thread from journalist Marianne David sets out the latest updates from Sri Lanka's National Hospitals Director. It has a breakdown of the number of dead and injured at each location and an update on how emergency rooms are coping. He says that blood donations are not needed - and that hospitals have all they need to cope with the crisis.

The archbishop of Colombo has just put out a statement that all evening Easter masses have been cancelled in view of the attacks on churches.

Local media report that all leave of police and other security personnel have been cancelled.

The director of the national hospital in Colombo has said that 45 bodies there, including those of nine foreigners.

He said there are also a large number of injured.

All government schools will be closed on 22nd and 23rd of April, says Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Sri Lanka has just emerged from more than a week of celebration with schools closed for the new year last weekend with Easter following very swiftly afterwards. Schools were due to open again on Monday.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Reuters

A reporter for the BBC's Sinhala Service, Azzam Ameen, is at the scene of one of the attacks, at Saint Anthony's Church in Colombo.

He says: "No one was expecting it, it was a peaceful Sunday morning – everyone was going for their Easter Sunday prayers and then suddenly, this attack.

"I’ve spoken to several priests who were in the church and they were really shocked. The intelligence police too – they were shocked. It was a well planned, well-coordinated attack.

"I’ve spoken to the security chief who was there and they are really clueless at the moment. It’s too early to say who is behind it.

"After the Tamil Tigers, who were eradicated in 2009, Sri Lanka hasn’t really seen this kind of incident – Sri Lankans are shocked at the moment.

"Security has been tightened in all the major cities as there is some panic – expecting more attacks."

Security has been tightened around the country, including its main international airport.

The state-run Daily News newspaper said heavy security has been deployed with several emergency teams brought in.

The death toll is rising quickly and the latest count puts the number of dead at 137. Hundreds more have been injured and are being treated in hospitals around the country.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has just put this statement out on Twitter.

AFP news agency is reporting one police official who spoke on condition of anonymity that foreigners have been reported among the dead.

Sri Lanka's Red Cross has put out a message, which acts as a timely warning about the unverified speculation prone to spread across social media in the wake of events like these.

Images and videos are being circulated widely on social media in Sri Lanka, especially WhatsApp, showing dead, injured, the moment the blast occurred and theories on as to who is responsible.

An eyewitness speaking to BBC Sinhala's Azzam Ameen describes running into the church after hearing an explosion and seeing bodies lying on the floor.

"We heard the blasts around 8.45am. People came running out, shouting that others had died. We ran into the church and saw the bodies and we covered them with plastic. The police arrived after that and cleared everyone from the area," the man, who identified himself only as Kamal said.

He said that there were around 500 to 600 people inside the church - one of Sri Lanka's most historic - for Easter service.