Medical staff bring a body out of Batticaloa church, Sri Lanka, April 21, 2019 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Seven suicide bombers took part in the devastating attacks, police said on Monday. The Sri Lanka government has announced a curfew and has frozen social networks including Facebook and WhatsApp to prevent any spread of false information.

A series of bombings struck churches and hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday morning. The first wave of attacks struck during busy Easter services at churches in the heart of the country's minority Christian community in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. More blasts ripped through three luxury hotels in the capital city: Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand, and Kingsbury. Other blasts hit a hotel in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and a private house in in Dematagoda.

The death toll has mounted to 290 people including 32 foreigners from the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and India.

The Sri Lanka Air Force said it detected and defused an improvised explosive device near Bandaranaike International Airport in the capital city of Colombo.

World leaders including EU Commission President Jean-Claude Junker and UK Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attacks and expressed their condolences to Sri Lanka. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia stands by Sri Lanka’s side in the fight against terrorism. Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said Interpol will help investigate the case.