The UK and Australia have advised their citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka unless their journey is essential as terrorists were “likely” to carry out further attacks in the country, following the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people and injured over 500.
According to advisories, future attacks could beindiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.
In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, the The UKForeign Office (FCO) updated its guidance, urging British citizens in thecountry to avoid large gatherings.
But on Thursday it went further, warning about the potentialfor more attacks.
“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against allbut essential travel to Sri Lanka, due to the current evolving securitysituation following attacks on April 21 2019,” it said.
“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacksin Sri Lanka. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited byforeigners.”
Foreign Office officials told those at the briefing that thechange to travel advice was not due to fresh intelligence but instead anecessary precaution.
The situation still remains volatile in Sri Lanka after ninesuicide bombers, believed to be members of a local Islamist extremist groupcalled National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out the blasts that killed 253people and wounded more than 500 others.
The death toll from the Islamist attack on Easter Sunday wasrevised downwards on Thursday from 359 to 253 people killed.
Following similar warning from the UK, the US, Australia onThursday warned more terror attacks were “likely” in Sri Lanka,cautioning citizens against visiting the island nation.
“Terrorists are likely to carry out further attacks inSri Lanka,” the foreign ministry warned in its latest travel advice.
“Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in placesvisited by foreigners. Security has been stepped up across the island and aState of Emergency and night-time curfew remain in place,” it said.
The US State Department on Thursday again issued an advisoryand warned that terrorist groups “continue plotting” possibleattacks, with targets including tourist locations, places of worship andairports.
The blasts – the deadliest attacks in the country’s history– are likely to devastate the country’s tourism industry which had beenthriving in the decade of peace since the end of the country’s civil war in2009.
Tourism is a major source of income for Sri Lanka and theindustry has only in recent years begun to recover after the 26-year civil war.
In 2009, there were 448,000 foreign visitors to the country,but since 2016, the figure has leapt to more than 2 million a year.