No Lankan in Beirut car bomb explosion

by Manjula Fernando

Sri Lankan Ambassador in Lebanon Ranjith Gunaratna said no Sri Lankan has been injured or killed in the car bomb incident in Beruit on Friday. Speaking to Sunday Observer from Lebanon, he said the mission got in touch with the Lebanese police as soon as the incident took place and a team of officers from the Embassy were dispatched to hospital to ascertain if there were any Lankans among the casualties.

He said following Friday’s incidents, violence is expected to escalate, but the 85,000 Sri Lankan expatriate workers were not in immediate danger and evacuation was not necessary. The Ambassador said, the mission was closely following the situation. The explosion that rocked Beirut had occurred four kilometres away from the Sri Lanka mission.