Hundreds of protesters tried to storm the president's home in a night of violence and anger at a dire economic crisis, as the South Asian nation reels from severe shortages of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts in its most painful downturn since independence in 1948
A soldier guards an area next to a burnt-out bus near the Sri Lankan president's home in Colombo on April 1, 2022. - Security forces were deployed across the Sri Lankan capital on April 1 after protesters tried to storm the president's home in anger at the nation's worst economic crisis since independence. (Credit: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's capital was under heavy security on Friday after hundreds of protesters tried to storm the president's home in a night of violence and anger at a dire economic crisis.
The South Asian nation is seeing severe shortages of essentials, sharp price rises and crippling power cuts in its most painful downturn since independence in 1948. Many fear it will default on its debts.
Thursday night's unrest saw hundreds of people, rallied by unidentified social media activists, march on President Gotabaya's home demanding his resignation.
They set two military buses and a police jeep ablaze, threw bricks to attack officers and barricaded a main road into Colombo with burning tyres.
One person was critically injured and police said five officers were hurt in running battles. Forty-five people were arrested.