Historical eventApril 212019

2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings

Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269.

Everything on April 21Original source

In context

When
Sunday, April 21 20197 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2019.

What happened

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital, Colombo, were targeted in a series of coordinated Islamic State (IS)-related terrorist suicide bombings. Later that day, two smaller explosions occurred at a housing complex in Dematagoda and a guest house in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people were killed, with over 200 of them being Christians, including at least 45 foreign nationals, three police officers, and nine suicide bombers.

April 21 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1985The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord
  2. 1987Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
  3. 19891989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
  4. 1993La Paz
  5. 1996Jokela rail accident
  6. 20042004 Basra police station bombings
  7. 2010Kharkiv Pact
  8. 2012Amsterdam Westerpark train collision
  9. 2014Flint, Michigan
  10. 20192019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
  11. 2021Indonesian Navy

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Everything we record for 2019 →

Sources

Cite this page

“2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/2019-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-2019-april-21, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings happen?

April 21 2019 — 7 years ago, on a Sunday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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