Sri Lanka blasts

[Jim Eshelman]

April 21, 2019, about 8:45 AM, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Wikipedia page in development: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Sri_ ... r_bombings

The eight explosions, primarily terrorist attacks against Christians, first targeted three churches for Easter and then guests at three high-end hotels. Two subsequent bombs went off in a housing complex and a motel, killing police who were investigating the locations. Suspects have now been arrested.

Death toll was 258 (some reports say 290), with more than 500 others wounded. The scenes are described in horrible terms with "body parts strewn all over:

Several cities on opposite sides of the island were involved, but the capital, Colombo, was one of these (and the island is small); so Colombo is the best location, I think; other cities where churches were hit were Negombo and Batticaloa.

The first blast went off "after Easter Mass" in a church in Negombo (near Colombo). I don't yet know if this was a sunrise mass or how long it ran, so we have only a general time so far. Scales summarized, "Most sources say that these blasts began or occurred around 8.45 AM, although CNN reports that the blast in Shangri-La hotel, Colombo was "just after 9 AM local time", according to the hotel's press statement" This is all consistent because the hotel blasts came after the church blasts. UPDATE: Wikipedia now gives the first explosion (at St. Sebastian's in Negombo) as 8:25 AM, with the first in Colombo at 8:45 AM. However, it then says that Colombo was hit before Negombo.

If the first wave of attacks was indeed at 8:45 AM, it occurred as Mars was rising n Colombo (and, thus, in nearby Negombo). Yesterday I wrote:

Transiting Mars now squares Capsolar Jupiter-Neptune for a few days. We should see appropriate events (e.g., aggressive evangelism, violence related to things like religion or entertainment, ferociously indulged pleasures) in parts of the world where these are on the Capsolar or CapQ angles. Keep an eye on the news for events.

This would have been a strikingly accurate prediction except this doesn't occur on Capsolar of CapQ angles for Sri Lanka. It did, however, occur on local angles for the event:

16°52' Tau - event Asc
18°44' Tau - transiting Mars
19°25' Aqu - Capsolar Neptune
19°43' Sco - Capsolar Jupiter

Year: Capsolar (Dormant.)
Year: Cansolar (Dormant.)
Bridge (None.)

Quarter: Arisolar {+2}
Saturn on Dsc 1°52'
Sun & Pluto more widely foreground
-- Sun-Pluto sq. 0°53' in mundo
-- Saturn-Pluto conj. 2°47'

Month: Caplunar (Dormant.) Moon-Uranus Moon-Pluto.

Week: Liblunar {+1}
Jupiter on Dsc 1°36'
-- Moon-Jupiter sq. 0°38' PVP
Venus & Neptune more widely angular
Moon-Pluto sq. 1°52'
Moon-Sun op. 3°50'

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {-1}
p Asc op. t Mercury 1°44'
t Mars is near the angles (especially WP), but not quite close enough
-----------------------
t Venus conj. s MC 1°35'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian & Transits (Dormant.)

Day: Arisolar Quotidian & Transits {+2}
p MC op. s Pluto 0°49', t Pluto 0°48'
p MC conj. s Sun 0°03'
p EP op. s Saturn 1°11', t Saturn 1°04'
--------------------
t Saturn op. s Asc 1°51'

Day: Libsolar Transits {0}
t Jupiter conj. s MC 1°51'

[Jim Eshelman]

As of right now, eight blasts across Sri Lankan churches and hotels have caused over 100 deaths (The Guardian reports "at least 138 deaths", The New York Times reports 189) and more than 300 people are injured. Death toll and injury numbers are rising, with blasts having been occurred as the hours passed by. Among the dead are mostly locals and some foreigners, one confirmed to be a UK citizen.

The Sri Lankan government, taking no chances, has imposed an all-night curfew, that was at first to be set at 6 PM Sri Lankan time. Curfew ends at 6 AM. (Sri Lanka uses Indian Standard Time, IST, UTC+5:30.) Social media and messaging services; particularly Facebook and Whatsapp, are banned temporarily.

Three of the first six blasts took place in high-end hotels in or near the capital, Colombo. Three others took place in churches respectively in Kochchikode, Negombo, and in the east coast city of Batticaloa. Most sources say that these blasts began or occurred around 8.45AM, although CNN reports that the blast in Shangri-La hotel, Colombo was "just after 9 AM local time", according to the hotel's press statement.

The seventh blast was reported around 2:09PM local time in a hotel near a Colombo suburb zoo. The eighth blast, also in Colombo, was reported as early (as I could find) at 2.43PM. One source quotes the police that the eighth blast was a suicide bomb. Three police officers were killed by it.

The Sri Lankan Minister of Defence describes the blasts/attacks as a "terrorist" incident, and the work of religious extremists. He also says he believes that all culprits have been identified and will be taken into custody.
Update: In his most recent statement, (posted in Twitter by a local Member of Parliament at 4:54PM IST) 7 people have been arrested. According to a NY Times journalist's tweet at 4:52PM IST, The Sri Lankan government also says that the explosions appear to have been as a result of suicide bombings carried out by one group.

Pope Francis denounced the attacks and offered prayers for the victims of these attacks at the conclusion of his Easter Sunday speech.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... tel-blasts
https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/04/21/as ... index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/worl ... bings.html
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world ... 62901.html