In Sri Lanka, the number of deaths has risen to 228, after a series of blasts in Easter.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday that there were 228 people killed and 450 injured in a series of explosions at eight locations including the capital, Colombo.

They also arrested 13 suspects and said they were all Sri Lankans.

Local police have handed 10 of the arrested suspects to the Criminal Investigations Department and found that the suspects had found a vehicle and suspects used by suspects who had been used to travel to Colombo.

Defense Minister Luwan Weezer and Ledana denounced the blast as a terrorist attack committed by religious extremists.

In addition, the dpa correspondent said that a detonated explosive device was found near the airport 30 kilometers away from Colombo, removing the primer.

The device was found on a road 2 km away from Bandaranaike International Airport and was in a plastic pipe at the time.

The explosion occurred almost three times in three major hotels with foreign visitors, including St. Antonio's Cathedral in Colombo yesterday morning.

A similar blast occurred in eight places, including one in the Catholic Church in Negombo, north of Colombo, and one in the Christian Church in the eastern coast of Batticaloa.

AFP reported that two of these were seen as suicide bombings.

(Photo = Getty Images Korea)