More Terror Attacks ’Likely’ In Sri Lanka - Australia Warns

By Staff, Agencies

Australia on Thursday warned more terror attacks were "likely" in Sri Lanka, cautioning citizens against visiting the island nation following the Easter Sunday bombing that claimed 253 lives.

"Terrorists are likely to carry out further attacks in Sri Lanka," Australian Foreign Ministry warned in its latest travel advice.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners," it said.

Canberra advised Australians to "reconsider your need to travel to Sri Lanka", following similar warnings from Britain, the Netherlands and the United States since the April 21 bombings.

For its part, the US State Department warned that terrorist groups "continue plotting" possible attacks, with targets including tourist locations, places of worship and airports.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high in Sri Lanka and a curfew has been put in place across the island, with authorities still in a desperate search for suspects.

Authorities on Thursday revised down the death toll by more than 100 to 253, admitting some of the badly mutilated bodies had been erroneously double-counted, a grim indicator of the power of the deadly blasts.

"Many of the victims were badly mutilated... There was double counting," the health ministry said in explaining the new death toll of 253, down from 359 announced on Wednesday.

Health Ministry director general Anil Jasinghe said the "very complex nature of the human remains" made it hard for forensic experts to initially compile an accurate toll.

"In explosions like this, bodies get badly mutilated. It is not always possible to have complete bodies," he said.

"This is why it was initially difficult to arrive at a precise toll."