play. this is news live from berlin sri lankan officials say several suspects have been arrested after wave of easter sunday bombings killed at least two hundred seven people seven blast targeted luxury hotels and churches filled with easter. hundreds of people were hurt and eighth explosion came as police attempted to search a house the defense minister blamed villagers extremists will get the latest from the sri lankan capital colombo. i would like to express my heartfelt

closeness to the christian community attacked while gathered in prayer. to all the victims of such a cruel act of violence. pope francis after his easter sunday adding his voice full of course of condemnation and showing the world leaders reacting to this reluctant also coming up. could have comic actor become ukraine's next president voters casting ballots in today's runoff election incumbent president petro poroshenko faces. a comedian who played the president on television now he's going to feel. thanks for joining us in a series of easters. sunday bombings at luxury hotels in churches filled with

worshippers has left at least two hundred and seven people dead hundreds more wounded police say most of the eight bombings of peer have been suicide attacks the government has blamed religious extremists but so far no group has claimed responsibility. so hospital in the capital colombo was overwhelmed people brought in victims anyway they coat. that. outside shock and disbelief at the scale of the violence. no one expected easter sunday to end in this way but the explosion and then the roof fell on us we took the children and ran out but when i came to the hospital i saw my brother in law and son on the ground. among the buildings hit the five star shangri-la hotel in colombo. many had been enjoying

a special easter breakfast when the blast went off. it was one of several luxury hotels and a church targeted in the capital. another blast happened at a church in the town of mocambo north of the capital more than ninety people died here. then shortly afterwards the zion church in the eastern town of butter canola was devastated by another device. it's the worst act of violence in ten years since the end of the country's civil war the government has blamed truly just extremists and has warned of serious consequences for the nation. if you do the math i see this as a serious situation as destabilizing the country and the economy i strongly condemn this attack aimed at religious institutions and some hotels in the capital and the back. in the aftermath of the carnage a number have arrests have been made and

a curfew imposed on the government is back to hunt down all the perpetrators i let's cross over now to jamila national again editor of news in asia and journalist in colombo sri lanka jamila thanks for joining us you've been on the ground all day today do you have any further details about the suspects who'd been arrested so far. you. know. why we don't have our connection with jimmy learn as million we'll try to reestablish that and once you do jimmy are you there yes i can hear you try ok you are live on d w. you've been on the ground all day of course covering their side can you give us any more details if you have them on the suspects who've been

arrested thus far. again i think we're having issues with our connection there we'll certainly get her back to you as soon as we can to of this relaunch attacks targeted roman catholic churches filled with worshippers celebrating easter at the vatican pope francis went ahead with his easter mass as news of the attacks came in he's what he said to worshippers on st peter's square. and a key to the it had i heard with sadness the news of the horrendous attacks which on easter sunday have brought sadness and pain to some churches and other places in sri lanka they see little money fist. i would like to

express my heartfelt closeness to the christian community. which was attacked while gathered in prayer. and to all victims of such a cruel act of violence. when i entrust to the lord all who so tragically die and i pray for the wounded and all those who are suffering because of this dramatic event. of course hundreds of people were injured in a series of attacks today we've been reporting all day i'm joined now by dr going to cover a medical doctor for the sri lankan red cross in colombo sri lanka dr thank you for joining us can you give us the latest numbers of those who have been injured in today's attacks yeah according to the latest information about two hundred seven people died more than four hundred fifty has been injured at the moment and these are the information of what we have heard open children permission up in so far

still that some investigations going on there are still working on some of these blasted places. still allowed in to find the good people and ended bodies you had a civil war in sri lanka of course that went on for years have you seen anything like this before. the hot seat after the similar vote really things have been very peaceful yeah then since two thousand and really we haven't seen any of this any of the things in this kind of things have been basic will be been really. pleased peacefully now really everybody has been really shocked what kind of injuries are you seeing and do you have adequate resources to treat the. injured this more clearly you know that it's. it's it's mostly

a multiple threat as. blasting to these three eighty at the moment resources has been under and under control in the community emergency bradley to hospitals has been fully. mean the people who have been indian but really what they have done mostly first manage the acute situation in the hospital and in france but the patients do the close by hospitals for their problem do. for their put the care specific or leave in the event places where they need a seal present it is the union been a bed that hospitals are around really and. once they are stability there will need to deice use in the closest hospitals nothing said been pretty calm at the moment the government has declared koku and put the northeast. thank you so much that's just in one huge goodness a car a medical doctor for the sri lankan red cross in colombo we're going to cross over now back to jamila national indian who's the editor of news in asia and

a journalist in colombo sri lanka do you hear esther miller yes radio clearly n.p.r. fantastic you've been on the ground all day obviously covering this is this event do you have any more details about the suspects who've been arrested thus far. basically do not have any further information as to the organization of the seven suspects who belong to but just the shock when i let go of the police spokesperson in promise that they did not need a lodging any clothing from mansion. investigations as part of the company so we will just have to wait and see investigations going into tomorrow or the after before actually knowing who has been disposed to vote for this attack so i imagine given that last bit of information that authorities are not in the position to say whether they're confident that david to be detained all the main suspects or if the

search is ongoing for more sense yes. yes definitely the search is ongoing for more suspects because i was on ground zero shock trying to go and i did see the parties going into com health care going into my room and checking all the people. all the documentation so that chen gave a very clean the kitchen that the police is very much on going to cause some more suspects. do you have a sense from authorities about how many more suspects they might be searching or. no actually there is not a specific number we should we can't see right now we are hoping and praying that the seven were the main topics including they were looking for and that there would be no more suspects but from the investigations which are going on and from the search operations which are going on right now bad if you need to be looking for them all but i cannot be an example number and again i realize this is ongoing this

is a developing story we don't have all the answers but are we looking for a longer nationals or possibly our borders looking beyond. then i am not hundred percent sure where exactly did so jean-paul with a feel close to where they are firing those there have been some reports coming out that sam may be some for anything but i cannot come to some days so i am at the moment still not sure where those who are a business coaching from the locals it was a did such a foreigner let's just going to be waiting for an update from the police over those statements we know of course that at least two more blasts followed the earlier bombing today what's the situation in and around london now. where made to come you know is as bad but they are picked today morning and today often one has been peeled off because piers there are search and rescue operations going

on and that are bodies which have been recovered and those injured and there are those going just was just there being taken to hospital also security has been tightened around the blast site i'll join the august aka potatoes of the test is the test not being affected so we also think they're just abroad because they. impose indefinitely so least we are not hearing much more than that. merely nationally didn't thank you so much for your critical information. thank you very much. let's bring you back up to speed on the story we've been following for you this hour at least two hundred seven people have been killed and hundreds injured in explosions at churches and hotels in sri lanka the first seven explosions hit colombo as well as the town of and batticaloa east of the country

a major church in colombo was among the buildings hit other targets were five star hotels the defense minister says seven suspects have been arrested. let's get more analysis on the attacks today in sri lanka joined now from our studio in bonn germany by the. reporting focuses on south asia thanks for being with us officials in sri lanka have said religious extremism was a factor in today's attacks what can you tell us about threats from extremist groups in sri lanka. well with the defeat of thomas separatists in two thousand and nine sarah lunde got somewhat managed to rein in violence but experts say that various conflicts going to need to plague the country. these could have been could have triggered the easter blasts at the moment it's difficult to determine who could be behind the attacks but we can identify

a certain groups they could be. subject is radical. islam is like below god and so dishes lawmakers state. i believe. separatists and buddhists do not have the capacity to launch such coordinated and velo binaries attacks so it is likely that there could be islamists al qaeda affiliates or slamming the state affiliates behind these deadly attacks. christian community was evidently one of resembling one target in today's attacks have there been signs that this community in particular was coming under threat. when not really i believe islamists are supposedly behind these attacks it's not actually a dog getting the community into lanka probably they've must be looking for some

high profile dark easter is an event a high profile event and they want the maximum bob the city out of the attacks that could be one of the reasons but experts have pointed out in the past that islamist groups are gaining ground gaining it's trending certain longer not only in sri lanka but other south asian countries apart from afghanistan and pakistan where they are already very strong so they are branching out they are trying to do bangladesh and they have now we see sri lanka likely it could be. an islamist but we gone be ready sure about it as authorities have not confirmed who could be behind these attacks.