Image source, Reuters

Speculation is swirling on what will happen next in Sri Lanka.

A new president cannot be sworn into until the old president has resigned, which means an official letter of resignation has to be submitted by Rajapaksa.

Sources have told the BBC that the letter has been written, but it will not be officially released until the president has reached his final destination.

President Rajapaksa has landed in the Maldives earlier Wednesday morning after having fled Sri Lanka and will be making his way to a final destination.

Where that is however, is unclear.

The Prime Minister has declared a state of emergency across Sri Lanka and a curfew has been imposed in the western province, a spokesperson in the Prime Minister's office has said.

Thousands of protesters are making their way towards the Prime Minister's office on Flower Road - about a 20 minute walk away from the main protest site of Galle Face Green.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said he would step down once an all-party interim government is set up following Mr Rajapaksa's departure.

But many Sri Lankans want him to leave immediately.

This is because once Mr Rajapaksa departs, under Sri Lanka's constitution, Mr Wickremesinghe would automatically become acting president for 30 days.

"If we don't hear of the resignation of the president and the prime minister by the evening, we may have to gather back and take over parliament or another government building," protester Buddhi Prabodha Karunaratne had earlier told Reuters.

"We are strongly against the Gota-Ranil government. Both have to go."

Police have used tear gas to disperse a group of protesters near the Prime Minister's Office at Flower Road.

Protests so far today around the capital had been largely peaceful, with demonstrators chanting and giving speeches.

An enthusiastic crowd has gathered in Galle Face Green this morning. Chants of a popular phrase Aragalayata Jayawewa, or “Victory to the struggle” in Sinhalese - which is commonly used at protests - can be heard in the air, while some wave flags high in the air.

Others are listening to fiery speeches by fellow citizens who are flanked onstage by posters that say "Go home Gota".

The Rajapaksa brothers, Mahinda and Gotabaya, were hailed by many as heroes for winning the civil war but are now reviled as leaders.

It's a dramatic fall from grace for a family that has dominated Sri Lankan politics for more than a decade.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was once celebrated by the majority Sinhalese as a hero for bringing an end to nearly three decades of civil war when the Tamil Tiger rebels were crushed in 2009 during his first term as president.

His father was a parliamentarian and Mahinda gradually rose from opposition leader in parliament to prime minister in 2004.

When he became president a year later, he made Gotabaya the defence secretary.

It was a big career jump for the younger brother who was living a quiet life in the US after retiring from the Sri Lankan military. Gotabaya rose to prominence, earning a reputation for ruthlessness.

Soon, other brothers and relatives joined the government.

Image source, Reuters

Tessa Wong
BBC News, Colombo

Back in Galle Face Green - the city's main protest site - some are furious about Gotabaya Rajapaksa's departure.

“We don’t like it. We want to keep him. We want our money back! And we want to put all the Rajapaksas in an open prison where they can do farmwork,” said protester GP Nimal who has spent the last 43 days at Galle Face Green.

“There is no justice," he told me.

As we spoke, we were joined by a young man who said he was from the Maldives and moved to Sri Lanka recently.

When told that Mr Rajapaksa had fled to the Maldives, he muttered a mild expletive and laughed.

“This is just so embarassing,” he said.“This is not good. Even the Maldives is corrupt and it’s going in the same direction.”

We've been reporting that President Rajapaksa has arrived in the Maldives after fleeing Sri Lanka in the middle of the night.

The Sri Lanka Air Force has now confirmed that military aircraft was provided for President Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa, and two security officers to fly to the Maldives, following a request by the existing government.

It remains unclear whether the embattled president will remain in the Maldives or is simply using it as a temporary port of call before flying on to another destination.

Meanwhile, India has "categorically denied baseless and speculative media reports" that it facilitated the president's departure.

Tessa Wong
BBC News, Colombo

In the crowds gathered at Colombo's Galle Face Green are twin sisters Reshini and Reshani Samarakoon.

Along with their mother, the 23 year old university students travelled from Malava in the south to the capital two days ago to take part in the protest movement.

“I think he [President Rajapaksa] is like a terrorist. He has terrorised the country for so long. So I’m happy that he has left. But sad because of the situation in Sri Lanka,” said Reshini.

The sisters were optimistic that Sri Lanka was turning a new chapter. “We hope that in the future we can eventually become a developed country, economically and socially,” said Reshani.

Gotabaya fled the country right before the Wednesday deadline where the public had been told that he would be resigning.

However those statements were provided by Rajapaksa's allies - the prime minister and the parliament's speaker - and were not given by him directly. He has not spoken publicly since his residence was stormed on Saturday.

This morning, the country has still not heard news of an official resignation.

The president needs to submit a resignation letter to the parliament's speaker to trigger succession in Sri Lanka's politics. This is a period where an interim president will step in for a month to organise an election.

Anbarasan Ethirajan
BBC News, Colombo

Image source, Getty Images

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was once a powerful figure in Sri Lanka - and few expected there would come a day when he would flee the country.

As the former defence chief, he oversaw military operations in the controversial war against the Tamil Tiger rebels that ended in 2009.

He is accused of human rights abuses during the war, and also of targeting dissenters. But he has always denied the accusations.

The Rajapaksa family dominated Sri Lankan politics for two decades and with strong backing from the Sinhala Buddhist majority, he became president in 2019.

His hurried departure is a remarkable victory for the Sri Lankans who took to the streets in fury and frustration over the mismanagement of the economy.

President Rajapaksa has left a significant power vacuum in his wake. As president he holds a wide range of executive powers, as well as serving as the commander-in-chief of the military.

Under Sri Lanka's constitution, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should take power as he is considered the president's deputy in parliament.

But Wickremesinghe, who is seen as being close to the Rajapska family, is deeply unpopular.

He indicated he would resign after protesters set fire to his private residence on Saturday. He and his family were not inside.

Although he has said he would step down, he has given no date.

Image source, Reuters

That leaves the parliament's speaker - Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena - as the next most likely person to step in as caretaker president, constitutional experts say.

But he is an ally of the Rajapaksas and it's unclear whether the public would accept him.

On Monday, the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told the BBC he would be tilting for the presidency. But he too lacks public support amid suspicion of politicians in the current climate.

And the mass protests which have forced the Rajapaksas out of power don't seem to have thrown up any contenders for the country's leadership.

Image source, EPA

Tessa Wong
BBC News, Colombo

As dawn breaks on Sri Lanka, thousands of people are roaming the streets of downtown Colombo.

Many have congregated at Galle Face Green, the main protest site, listening to fiery speeches at a makeshift stage set up for ordinary people to take the mike and rail against the government and leaders they feel have deeply betrayed them.

Each speech is punctuated with sporadic shouts of “Victory to the struggle” in Sinhalese, the rallying cry of the Aragalaya people’s protest movement.

Image source, Reuters

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is in the Maldives after fleeing Sri Lanka in the dead of night.

He arrived in the capital of Male at around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT), the BBC understands. The AFP news agency reported he was accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards.

The leader, who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, is believed to have wanted to get abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.

But it remains unclear whether he intends to claim asylum on the island, or whether he is simply using it as a layover while he plans his next move.

His brother and former finance minister, Basil Rajapaksa, has also managed to leave the country after an earlier attempt was halted, sources have told the BBC.

He is said to be heading to the US where he has citizenship.

Image source, Reuters

Welcome back to our live coverage of the crisis in Sri Lanka.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country on a military jet, hours before he was expected to resign from office.

Sri Lankans have been protesting for months demanding that he step down - they blame him for mismanaging the economy, which has effectively collapsed amid hyper inflation and severe shortages of fuel, food and and other essentials.

Rajapaksa has arrived in the Maldives’ capital of Male. Our news story is here.

Stay with us for live updates on this unfolding story.